2024 AT A GLANCE

Trends That Shaped 2024

1 Brands Scored Big with Contextual Sports Ads

Sports themes continued to be a playground for advertisers in 2024, with a wide range of brands, from Toyota and State Farm to Home Depot, using well known athletes and big sporting moments (Olympics, College Football, March Madness) to drive advertising breakthrough with core sporting audiences and casual fans alike.

2 Humor and Emotional Storytelling Drove the Top Performers

Advertisers, like Subaru, leaned on emotional storytelling to connect and win with audiences, but humor stole the show across categories. The most memorable campaigns blended laugh-out-loud moments with strong branding, proving that entertainment drives both recall and engagement.

3 Celebs Made a Big Impact

Nearly half of the year’s top ads featured celebrities—from iconic athletes to A-list actors. Star power boosted breakthrough and brand visibility, but the real standouts paired fame with compelling stories and meaningful messaging, proving substance matters as much as star appeal.

2024 BEST PERFORMERS

Most Compelling Ads 2024

Welcome to MarketCast’s Best Ads of 2024, spotlighting ads and brands that achieved high breakthrough scores, as measured by MarketCast Brand Effect. For this list, MarketCast selected the top breakthrough ads from each brand category leader. Eligible ads ran from December 2023 to November 2024, excluding Super Bowl ads.