10 Ads That Struck a Cultural Nerve in 2024

This article was originally published on December 18

For better or worse, people have had a lot of feelings about advertising this year.

Thanks to social media, advertisers can no longer launch their campaigns in a vacuum, hoping that their marketing investment will later pay off in increased sales. Advertising is now a two-way street, and brands must be prepared at all times for consumer feedback.

Increasingly, that feedback turns into a full-blown reaction at unprecedented levels. Whether it’s heightened tension in an election year, ongoing polarization, or anxiety around emerging technology, marketers are often in a hot environment when trying to reach consumers.

Apple, Coca-Cola, Calvin Klein and Bumble were among the brands that sparked emotion, criticism and even outrage last year.

Below, the ads that hit a cultural nerve in 2024.

NYX | Super Bowl 2024 announcement

As an early Big Game advertiser, NYX learned the hard way that making jokes at the expense of men does not sit well with the NFL. I know bold and suggestive spot with Cardi B and a bunch of clumsy guys who abused their Duck Plump gloss to enhance their private parts were rejected by the league. Scrambling in the 11th^th now, NYX and McCann New York have produced an edited – some might say neutered – version, while an angry social chat immediately exposed the hypocrisy of the NFL. -TL Stanley

Green ‘strange’ board

In a standout example of Bratvertising, a pair of veteran advertising creatives has launched a digital billboard that adds the Charli XCX treatment to a Democratic Party dis of the Trump-Vance ticket. Reading, simply, “weird,” in black text on a lime green background, the work cleverly combined viral memes in support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The unnamed creators worked with the Florida Immigrant Coalition Votes, spending a measly $600 for the space in Palm Beach County, not far from Mar-a-Lago, for the zeitgeisty campaign, IYKYK. -TL Stanley