While 2025 has been the year of the agency merger, the obsession with AI and the ongoing economic headache, there has still been plenty to celebrate. As ever, many campaigns we reviewed fell well short while others excelled, and here we detail those that hit top marks on the Decision Marketing Adometer.
Heinz masterbrand ‘It has to be…’: Chips with everything
Developed in partnership with Wieden + Kennedy London, ‘Trigger the Taste’ tapped into a simple but powerful insight: Heinz is synonymous with great taste.
Rolling out nationwide, the campaign featured close-ups of Heinz’s top products, from ‘Seriously Good’ Mayonnaise to Heinz Baked Beanz. In a twist on its ‘It Has to Be Heinz’ tagline, each creative also replaced ‘Heinz’ with the food that completes the pairing – Chips, Toast, Fries, or Bread.
Our verdict: First we need to recognise that not many brands would be able to achieve such recognition that they could get away with not even having their name on the ad. Secondly, we’ve all grown up on this stuff – ketchup, baked beans even salad cream (OK we’re showing our age; mayonnaise was way too posh in our household) – so there is nostalgic, rather than “irrational”, love for Heinz.
Right, we’re feeling peckish now, so we’re off to grab a bowl of tomato soup, followed by chips with mayo (yep, we’re coming over all Belgian)…anyone fancy it?
PETA ‘DIY Hermès’ Birkin Bag’: A blood-curdling exposé
Animal rights charity PETA exposed the cruelty behind Hermès’ crocodile-skin bags, which sell for anything up to $200,000 on the resale market, with a DIY (dismember it yourself) video directed by Dave Meyers, who has worked with Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott, Ariana Grande, and Harry Styles, among many others.
In the clip, a cheery fashion vlogger teaches the audience how to make a “Hermès Birkin bag” from scratch, starting with a live, three-year-old crocodile. The video, created in collaboration with The Community ad agency, shows the content creator assembling all the tools needed for the job: some glue, a ruler, a tarp for the floor, a knife, and a screwdriver, before getting to work.
Our verdict: If this doesn’t put you off buying a Birkin bag, you need help – or maybe to spend some time alone with a few adult crocodilians… It’s pretty graphic stuff, despite the use of blurred out imagery, and certainly not for the faint hearted. Then again, there is little point beating about the bush, this is the harsh reality of the fashion industry. PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”. Can you really argue against that?
Cybersmile Foundation ‘Words Are Permanent’: Striking
Digital wellbeing and online safety charity Cybersmile Foundation launched this campaign to highlight the impact of online abuse among young people. Created by Adam & Eve DDB London, the “Words Are Permanent” used real comments made to young people online and turned them into eye-catching permanent tattoos on the faces of children.
The creative shone a spotlight on the fact that online comments only take a few seconds to write but can cause permanent damage to the person being targeted.
Our verdict: Firstly, we have to acknowledge that this is not a new creative idea, there are apparently numerous examples of agencies using tattoos to depict permanent damage, although we could only find this one from 2018, Boots Soltan “Be certain with Soltan” by Ogilvy UK.
Even so, this is a powerful campaign to tackle a hideous situation. Kids today live and breathe social media, yet there appears to be little support for them when the abuse starts. Anything that helps to expose this has got to be welcomed. Let’s just hope it works…
Tena ‘Rethink Bladder Leaks’: A true show of strength
This global campaign created by AMV BBDO aimed to challenge negative stereotypes and stigmas around incontinence. Designed to spark a radical shift perception, it invited women to rethink the condition, encouraging them to embrace solutions that met their needs and redefine their relationship with their bodies.
At the heart of the social-led campaign was a film directed by Grammy-winning director Nadia Marquard Otzen through Academy Films. Using projections as a storytelling device, the film projected common misconceptions directly onto the bodies of powerful women.
Our verdict: After you’ve gone through the obvious jokes of “are they taking the piss”; “in the wee small hours of the morning”; “bladder be ready for this one”; and “urine for a treat”; this work actually needs to work so let’s just be serious for once (honest that does happen now and again. So, hats off the AMV, there is no shame in this condition… and this campaign is truly inspiring.
Lebara The Big Mobile Clapback: The new dynamic duo
For this new activity, Lebara jumped into bed with industry “heavyweight” Big Narstie and viral grime content queen Grime Gran.
Written and performed by Mr Narstie, the ad and track were designed to be a witty, grime-fuelled roast of the major network operators, exposing the fact that their flashy ads mask poor customer service and annual price rises that add insult to injury.
The track delivered punchy lines, including: “Try come to man with some waste Big Mobile network and some waste price plan. Man, time to burn that contract, blud.”
Our verdict: We have a confession. We love Big Narstie and whatever he does, and it seems he won’t just jump into bed with any company. OK, his turn for SlimFast might have attracted some Big Narstie Ridicule – after all, his weight loss journey seems to be a very, very long one – but at least he doesn’t whore himself out to any Tom, Dick or Harry, unlike say David Beckham.
And, what could be a better cause than saving hard-pressed British consumers their hard-earned cash? Bless her, even Grime Gran makes a decent fist of it and together they make a great dynamic duo.
Greenpeace ‘They can’t arrest this billboard’: Sobering
Devised by Elvis, the digital OOH campaign supported Greenpeace’s claims that anti-protest laws are being used to remove and intimidate peaceful protesters.
Designed as a simultaneous digital protest across three UK cities, the ads allowed activists to make their stand inside digital screens, drawing attention to the very real risk of their arrest if they were there in person.
In partnership with Amnesty International UK, Friends of the Earth and Liberty, the activity forms part of a growing movement calling on the Government to restore people’s right to make their voices heard on issues they care about by reversing anti-protest measures in two key pieces of legislation passed since 2022.
Our verdict: If ever there has been a case to not keep calm and carry on this has got to be it. Those who argue that peaceful protests get you nowhere might want to take a quick look at the history books. Of course, being in a protest can get you a good kicking, but no one ever said change was easy. Time and time again we have seen democracy win through.
So, is there anything more depressing than being denied the right to have your say? Do we really want to live under Chinese or Russian “democracy”? We think not…
As the late Clash frontman Joe Strummer once sang: “Kick over the wall, cause governments to fall. How can you refuse it? Let fury have the hour, anger can be power. Do you know that you can use it?”
NHS Blood & Transplant ‘Be There’: We could be heroes
NHS Blood & Transplant – the NHS organisation dedicated to saving and improving lives through blood and organ donation – launched this campaign to drive blood donation in key areas of the country.
Creatively conceived and executed by Havas London, the campaign called on the public to be the giving type and “be there” when they are needed most, by highlighting the unique ability to be there for someone, without physically being there, when you give blood.
At the heart of the new activity sat a 30-second film, centred around the worlds of a blood donor and their recipient, which collide in a dramatic moment in time.
Our verdict: With approximately 1.45 million units of blood required each year – about 4,300 donations a day – to meet the needs of patients across England, it is fair to say this is a mission critical campaign and one that truly could be the difference between life and death for thousands of Brits.
The NHS also needs to recruit about 140,000 new blood donors annually to replace those who can no longer donate. This activity makes a great case for being a blood donor. The question is, what are you waiting for?
Montirex Foundation and CALM Break The Wall: Punchy
Of all the issues facing the youth of today, mental health has to be right up there. While older generations might view them as flaky, arguing that youngsters need to grow a pair, keep calm and carry on or simply snap out of it, like it or not, this generation needs more support.
Enter sportswear challenger brand Montirex, which threw its hat in the ring by launching a dedicated charitable arm The Montirex Foundation, with a bold mission to support youth mental health through sport.
To mark the launch, Montirex officially partnered with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release the second chapter of its powerful initiative: “Break The Wall”, featuring boxer Ted Jackson and actor Alfie Cain.
The storytelling was designed to be unfiltered and relatable, sparking real talk about the pressure to be tough, the pain behind the silence, and the strength in opening up.
Our verdict: As regular readers will know, we are big supports of CALM; after all, there can be nothing more depressing than people feeling so low, so helpless and so isolated that they take their own life. Any initiative that can save someone from ending it all prematurely has got to be worth every penny.
Prostate Cancer UK ‘The Unexpected Hero’: Battle cry
While most women are on top of their health; too many fellas would rather do anything else in the world than talk about any issues they are facing, let alone visit their GP.
That is the challenge that has faced charity Prostate Cancer UK for decades yet is also one that its agency, VCCP, appears to be relishing.
This campaign, directed by Nicole Pott through VCCP’s content creation studio Girl&Bear Studios, follows 11-year-old Nikki on a breathless chase to shield her father from a threat he cannot see coming.
Our verdict: OK, we know we’ve said it many times before, but it is still worth repeating, the Dead Dads’ Club is not a great institution to be a member of. Of course, men can be annoying, many thrive on it, but can we really sit back and let this criminal waste of life continue? Once again, VCCP gets it spot-on. And, maybe, just maybe, it will inspire all you blokes out there to actually get your arses in gear…
YourVolkswagen: Taking us right back to good old Snowy
This activity was devised by Adam & Eve DDB’s as the next phase of its YourVolkswagen brand platform, which puts the spotlight on real VW drivers, who tell the true stories of why the marque means so much to them.
We meet mechanic Pritpal, who has grown up with a love of VW in a family of enthusiasts; Rob works in classic car restoration and owns one of the most iconic Polos in the country, and, enthusiast Richard, who has owned more than 50 VW cars.
Our verdict: Back in the day, we used to pootle around the South Coast in a VW Golf Driver, complete with golf ball-topped gear stick, no less. Sadly, “Snowy” (yes, it was white) eventually ended up on the scrapheap, but our fondness for the brand has not dimmed.
All of which means we are perfectly qualified to say that this YourVolkswagen activity is spot on, and no doubt Adam & Eve DDB and Six Minutes did not have to look too far and wide to find these brand advocates. Turning that into an advertising campaign, however, is a bigger challenge but one that has been met with gusto.
And, even though we now drive a Skoda Octavia, at least it is owned by VW, so we can still bask in the reflective glory of the masterbrand!
Alzheimer’s Society Personal Appeal: Communal spirit
The Alzheimer’s Society’s every day challenge sparked a new brand platform, “It will take a society to beat dementia”, backed by a nationwide integrated campaign exploring the experience of a dementia diagnosis through the eyes of the individual.
Devised by New Commercial Arts, with media planning and buying through Medialab, the first iteration of the campaign “Personal Appeal” featured Rachel directly addressing the camera.
Her husband and daughter encourage her from behind the lens as she discusses her fears and uncertainty about what’s to come – a devastating reality familiar to so many.
As Rachel continues, audiences begin to see members of the ‘society’ slowly fill the room behind her. Each symbolise the network of people the charity brings together in their mission to end the devastation of dementia. The film ended with a tonal shift, as Rachel moved from talking about her personal concerns, to that of the collective “we”.
Our verdict: There must be few people in this country, let alone the world, who don’t know someone with either dementia or Alzheimer’s; naturally, the challenge is getting people to react and you would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by this campaign.
We know from personal experience that this condition puts a huge strain on everyone involved… so, what are you waiting for?
Waitrose ‘Perfect Gift’: The ultimate Christmas cracker
With John Lewis often seen as the retailer whose ad kicks off Christmas, this year it seems that sister brand Waitrose is the one which has captured the nation’s imagination.
Created by Wonderhood Studios and directed by BAFTA-award winning Molly Manners with production from Biscuit Filmworks, the four minute film stars actress Keira Knightley as the female lead; matched with comedian Joe Wilkinson, who reprises his role as Phil, from the grocer’s 2024 “whodunnit” festive ad.
The mini rom-com movie is designed to highlight the importance and ease of “saying it with food”, amplifying the key role food plays in bringing people together, and communicating messages of love and care.
Our verdict: Maybe, just maybe we are going a bit soft in our old age or maybe, just maybe the pre-festive lunches are taking their toll, but this ad is in a different class to anything else this year.
Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot on a stag do? Coke’s AI-driven “Holidays Are Coming”? Bah. Even John Lewis’s “Where Love Lies” father and son bonding is not really close to this…
GOSH Charity ‘Because Every Moment Matters’: Emosh
While the likes of John Lewis, Waitrose, Aldi and Boots battle it out for a share of seasonal spend, spare a thought for the charity sector, which has to compete with the big budgets of the UK retail giants during the crucial run up to December 25.
And, as if by magic, this Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity 2025 Christmas spot aims to provide an authentic glimpse into life at the hospital during the festive season as part of its “Because Every Moment Matters” appeal.
Created by Imperio, with media through Medialab, the ad is set to Coldplay’s All My Love and features real-life, fly-on-the-wall footage of 13 families and over 80 staff members, capturing genuine moments of connection, care, and joy within the hospital. Scenes include quiet moments on wards, a GOSH Arts ballet dancer in the corridors, and a visit from Santa.
Our verdict: If we thought we were going soft last week with the Waitrose “Sussex Charmer” love-in, this week confirms our worst fears. We’d like to think we just had something in our eye but nope those are real tears.
Yes, it’s emotional, you could even say it lays it on with a trowel, but this is for the kids and they need every penny…
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