Best Ads of Q1 2025 – Marketing Experts Weigh In
Welcome to the first quarterly edition of GeistM’s Best Ads of 2025! Our team is once again diving into the most eye-catching, innovative, and inspiring ads we’ve come across recently. Each month, we gather to share standout campaigns and vote on our favorite.
As we kick off 2025, we’re more excited than ever to spotlight the ads that challenge norms and elevate our creative thinking.
Without further ado, here are our top picks for the Best Ads of Q1 2025 — the campaigns setting the tone for an exciting year ahead.
Best Ads of January 2025
Third Place for January’s Best Ad: Pinney Talfourd Solicitors
What makes this ad so eye-catching is the spacing of the bolded words across the sentence. At first glance, your eyes naturally jump to “Our,” “lawyers,” “are,” “better,” creating a quick, almost subliminal message about the firm’s credibility.
But when you actually read the whole thing, you realize it’s playing with marketing rules in an ingenious way. The mix of scattered bold words and the punchline at the end makes it not just eye-catching, but also pretty clever.
January Joint Runner-Up for Best Ad: Severance Season 2
Instead of a typical ad or trailer, they dropped the cast into a glass-walled office and had them silently “work” like their characters. People walking by were naturally curious — was this a stunt? A social experiment? It felt unsettling, just like the show. And, of course, everyone started filming, sharing, and freaking out online, making it go viral almost instantly.
The pop-up fit perfectly with the show’s eerie, corporate vibe, so it didn’t feel like forced marketing — it felt like stepping into the Severance world. By choosing a high-traffic spot like Grand Central, they maximized exposure without a huge ad spend, letting social media do the work. Fans saw the cast in real life, the buzz skyrocketed, and now, everyone’s talking about Season 2. This is how you do marketing right!
January Joint Runner-Up for Best Ad: Kellogg’s – OG ‘See You in the Morning’ Campaign
This ad works because it cleverly combines nostalgia with modern design. The clever use of “OG” in the design not only hints at the brand’s original greatness but also appeals to modern audiences familiar with the term. It’s a fun, simple way to remind longtime fans of Kellogg’s history while engaging younger consumers with a pop culture reference.
January Best Ad WINNER: Heinz “No Logo” Campaign
This Heinz campaign is pure marketing genius. It doesn’t even need to show the product or logo — we just know. The sensory cues are so iconic — ketchup’s deep red swirl, the creamy texture of mayo, the glossy baked beans — that our brains immediately fill in the blanks and imagine the flavor even though you’re not physically tasting it.
The tagline “It Has To Be” plays on a universal truth: Fries need ketchup, toast needs beans, chips need mayo, and bread goes hand in hand with soup. This is a masterclass in brand association, proving Heinz owns these food pairings. It’s bold, minimalist, and extremely effective.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on GeistM’s top ads from January 2025! Check back next month for another roundup of standout ads from 2025.
