Analysis from creative effectiveness platform System1 reveals that David Beckham and Lionel Messi are far less prominent in World Cup advertising than online conversation suggests. Beckham appeared in 10 per cent of global World Cup ads, while Messi featured in 8 per cent. Some commentators questioned whether repeated appearances risked promoting the footballers’ personal brands […]

As the UK embraced the hottest May and June weather since records began, System1’s latest creative effectiveness data reveals how ice cream brands are embracing decades of distinctive brand-building to achieve exceptional performance. Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s lead the pack, with Cornetto’s iconic jingle and Ben & Jerry’s instantly recognisable visual identity demonstrating the […]

System1, the Creative Effectiveness Platform, has crowned Irn-Bru the winner of the 2026 Advertising World Cup, topping a field of 130 World Cup-themed ads tested across the UK, US, Brazil, Europe and Australia. This year’s tournament was the most competitive yet. Twenty-two ads achieved a Star Rating of 4.0 or higher, compared with just two […]

System1, the Creative Effectiveness Platform, has revealed the top-performing advertising campaigns from the 2026 Winter Olympics, with emotional storytelling, consistent brand execution and inspiring narratives of perseverance emerging as the strongest drivers of effectiveness. With more than 100,000 ads, System1’s Test Your Ad Competitive Edge platform is a large database of emotional response norms. Its Star Rating […]

System1, the Creative Effectiveness Platform, has revealed which Super Bowl LX US audiences are enjoying the most so far, and which have the greatest potential to drive long-term growth and profit. Early audience testing reveals ads from the NFL, Budweiser, Ring, Dove, and Pepsi ranking highest, sparking strong positive emotional responses. The top-performing campaigns share […]

Emotional response insights from System1’s Test Your Ad platform and Competitive Edge database reveals the top ten global ads from 2025 by emotional response, channel and category cut-through. The list recognises brands based on how strongly each ad performed relative to direct competitors, highlighting the creative choices that delivered true distinctiveness and a measurable competitive edge. […]

The new Christmas advert from Intermarché, the French supermarket chain, has achieved an ‘exceptional’ 5.0 Stars with leading creative effectiveness platform System1 – the highest score for a French advert since testing began. System1’s Star Rating measures an advert’s long-term brand-building potential based on the audience’s emotional response, with a score of 5.0 or above […]

Kevin the Carrot is celebrating a decade of fluent device success, with Aldi’s 2025 Christmas advert trilogy scoring an average of 5.5 Stars across its three part series with creative effectiveness platform System1. System1’s Star Rating predicts an advert’s long-term brand growth and is calculated by measuring emotional response to each ad, with a score […]

Apple’s 20025 Christmas advert, A Critter Carol, has earned an ‘exceptional’ 5.4 Stars with creative effectiveness platform System1 – making it the brand’s highest scoring advert ever tested. System1’s Star Rating predicts an advert’s long-term brand growth and is calculated by measuring emotional response to each ad, with a score of 5.0 or above considered […]

Emotional response data from System1’s Test Your Ad platform and Competitive Edge database shows that this year’s festive ad frontrunners are leaning into characters, consistency, and cultural nostalgia. 2025 is shaping up to be the most competitive and consistent Christmas yet, with early airers averaging a strong 4.6-Star Rating. Leading the pack is Amazon’s reprisal of […]