The top 5 ads of 2023—and why Apple had the worst one

Advertising! The majority of people spend a significant portion of their day actively trying to avoid ads, but the ones that are truly remarkable—good and bad—break through that default allergy to excite, delight, and enrage us. That’s what makes this slice of commercial culture distinct. These ads, combined with high-quality products to back it up, are what forge the often inexplicable emotional connections we have with brands. 

This is why we’re considering the best ads of 2023—and the worst. This is completely subjective. Obviously. Welcome to Hot Take City! Population: One.

Let’s start with the worst.

The competition for 2023’s worst ad was incredibly stiff. In fact, the list is so long that if I read it out loud, we may just have a full-on Ark of the Covenant situation on our hands. So in the best interest of our collective health, I’ll only talk about one: Apple’s “Mother Nature.”

Launched in September as a part of Apple’s big fall event, the five-minute short film stars Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature, arriving in Cupertino to grill Apple execs, including CEO Tim Cook, for a status report on how the company’s plans are progressing to be fully carbon neutral by 2030. Over the course of the meeting they cover materials, clean energy, transportation, water usage, and more. It’s like the COP summit married a corporate holiday video! The ad came as Apple announced its newest Apple Watch model as its first “completely carbon neutral” product.

“Mother Nature” just oozes money out of every frame. The direction is great. Octavia Spencer had a show on Apple TV+, but Apple canceled it in the spring, so she likely didn’t do this as a favor. As far as CEOs starring in their own ads go, Tim Cook is no Victor Kiam, but he’s logged enough stage time that he still handled the camera pretty well. 

So it’s not the worst ad in the sense of what you might see any time you log onto Twitter. But in terms of the brand and the subject matter, it’s at least the most disappointing. On paper, a lot about this short film reads like a smart move. Here we have Apple, a global giant, using its entertainment chops to appear fallible and human—everyone running around all nervous, anxious to impress Mother Nature. Even Cook. Clichéd? Sure. But it could have worked.

A lot of people—particularly those who work in some part of the advertising industry—loved “Mother Nature.” My LinkedIn feed was filled with praise for it. So to those people, calling this the year’s worst ad may sound cynical. Why can’t you just laugh along and be happy with Apple having some fun in hyping some of its progress?

But let’s be frank: I actually think the ad itself is what’s cynical here. Behind those stylish production values, top-notch cinematography, and Spencer doing her Oscar-winning best with a thankless sassy Black Lady role is a purposeful oversimplification of important climate issues. The ad is designed to make us all feel better about our current levels of consumption. The world is burning, but have you seen the new titanium iPhone?!? It all has a “don’t worry your pretty little head about the planet, you can buy your way to a healthier climate” smugness to it.

Remember, up until the last few months, Apple had been lobbying for years against right-to-repair legislation that just passed in California. Even despite its current support, iFixit.com found that the iPhone 15’s functionality is significantly diminished if parts are replaced with new ones not bought directly from Apple.

That’s all without diving down the wormhole that is the problematic claim of full carbon neutrality, and the dysfunction of offsets. Auden Schendler and Joseph Romm from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media called the ad a piece of “monumental greenwashing.” And they weren’t alone. Ultimately, we don’t need the planet’s most valuable company to humble brag about questionable climate accomplishments aimed at easing our own unsustainable consumer habits.

Apple missed an opportunity here. Instead of treating its climate initiatives as a victory lap or sales-driven differentiation, it should’ve used it to push for more, and help its corporate peers to do the same. Sound impossible? We’re talking about one of the best marketing operations on the planet. So much of its advertising hits the right notes—have you seen that stop-motion holiday spot yet?—but this act of climate concern cosplay was completely flat.

Now on to the Top 5!

5. Chicago Bears “2023 Schedule Reveal”

I’m not shy to admit that I’m a sucker for any unique combo of sports and brand creativity. Over the past few years, teams and clubs around the world have been having more and more fun with announcements like player signings, trades, and game schedules. 

This past May, the Bears used FX’s The Bear, the Chicago-based show, as the setting for its NFL schedule release taking advantage of the series being in peak prestige TV mode in popular culture.

Here’s Charles Tillman as head chef, trying to run the football team’s version of The Beef along with current and former players Anthony Adams, Justin Fields, Darnell Mooney, Kyler Gordon, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and comedian Dyon Brooks, among others. Each of the 17 orders that roll in represent an NFL game, relating back to the opponents. 

It’s a perfect example of the ongoing crossover between pop culture and sports—and perfectly timed. Now, if only the Bears could have used some of that creativity energy to climb out of the NFC North basement.

4. Nissan “Enjoy the Powerfully Peaceful Ariya”

To promote its new electric Ariya SUV, in February Nissan ran this four-hour ad on YouTube, specifically produced for the popular Lofi Girl channel, an animated livestream video backed by relaxing instrumental beats. Nissan got both the sound and visual vibes right, with animation of a woman driving through the countryside, as occasional Ariya billboards drift by.

Created with Google, LA-based Titmouse, and New York-based creative studio The Mayda Creative Co., the spot has attracted more than 18 million views. What I love about this is how it seemingly defies convention—four hours!—but succeeds because of the sheer attention paid to craft and this particular audience. It’s a seemingly deep cut for a niche audience, and they went berserk for it. In the same way Hilton’s 10-minute TikTok in February used an unfamiliar approach in a familiar format, Nissan is showing respect for the viewer, in both the idea and its execution, in a way that most advertising usually chooses not to. 

3. Liquid Death “F*ck Whoever Started This”

In July, Liquid Death dropped this full music video for the track “F*ck Whoever Started This,” off the brand’s new full-length album Greatest Hates Vol. 3. The album is 10 songs featuring lyrics all taken from less-than-friendly comments sent to the brand directly and via social media. Song titles that don’t include curse words or references to bodily fluids include “Worst Name For A Water Company,” “It’s Dumb And I Won’t Buy It,” and “There’s Not Even Alcohol In It.”

As I wrote when it dropped, under its profane exterior this video, and the entire album, is a valuable lesson in how brands should approach navigating the twisted hellscape that is popular culture in the year 2023: Have a point of view, and express it as creatively as possible. This will only become more relevant as we head into what is sure to be a hellscape of an election year. Brands with a distinct point of view build in the confidence and conviction to respond to everything from broader cultural issues to a spicy troll—quickly and authentically. Liquid Death knows that its sense of humor isn’t for everyone, and decides to play with it. Just as it did here, with a few f*cks said and zero f*cks given.

2. Stella Artois “Artois Probability”

“The Peasant Wedding” is a 1567 genre painting by the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, featuring a long table of revelers celebrating a new marriage with food, music, and what could be pitchers of Stella Artois. Well, there’s a 78% chance that the beer pictured is Stella, according to “The Artois Probability.” Created by agency Gut Buenos Aires, it used an algorithm to analyze classic artworks by Van Gogh, Manet, and other legendary painters, to determine the odds that the beer pictured in their work was a Stella, a brand with origins in the 14th century. In April, the agency hosted a show at Buenos Aires’ Bellas Artes Museum where visitors scanned artwork with an augmented reality app to get the Artois Probability score in real time. A record-breaking 24,000 people interacted with the museum web app, and the campaign delivered more than seven million impressions. 

This is technology and experience creatively utilized to deliver a brand insight and fun story, tying great art to its long history, not your average beer ad. 

1. Taco Bell  “Free Taco Tuesday”

This has to be a first, but my favorite ad of the year is a legal filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Back in May, Taco Bell petitioned to cancel the trademark, owned by a smaller taco chain since 1989, asserting the commonly used phrase “should be freely available to all who make, sell, eat, and celebrate tacos.”

Everything a company does is a brand move, and this was one that not only involved Taco Bell marketing and creative, but also relied heavily on its legal department, operations, digital, and more. Everything that followed began with this one filing. Getting LeBron James involved, tying to the NBA star’s long-held affinity for eating tacos on Tuesday. Launching a Change.org petition to get brand fans on board. 

It’s important to remember that the brand did this so anyone could use “Taco Tuesday,” not just Taco Bell. Teaming with DoorDash, the brand put $5 million towards putting tacos from any taco joint on Taco Bell’s tab. More than 20,000 restaurants across 49 states joined in the festivities. Audience engagement in one week surpassed the entirety of last year’s hugely popular relaunch of the Mexican Pizza. The brand also reached out to law-related trade media, as well as law influencers (yep, that’s a thing) who used their social feeds to translate legal jargon for the general public. The result was more than 21 billion earned media impressions and more than 11,000 pieces of media coverage. Now the brand is using Taco Tuesdays for weekly exclusive drops to loyalty members through its app.

A legal filing becomes an ad becomes a campaign becomes an ongoing brand platform. And it all started with this creative piece of paperwork.

Advertising! The majority of people spend a significant portion of their day actively trying to avoid ads, but the ones that are truly remarkable—good and bad—break through that default allergy to excite, delight, and enrage us. That’s what makes this slice of commercial culture distinct. These ads, combined with high-quality products to back it up, are what forge the often inexplicable emotional connections we have with brands. 

This is why we’re considering the best ads of 2023—and the worst. This is completely subjective. Obviously. Welcome to Hot Take City! Population: One.

Let’s start with the worst.

The competition for 2023’s worst ad was incredibly stiff. In fact, the list is so long that if I read it out loud, we may just have a full-on Ark of the Covenant situation on our hands. So in the best interest of our collective health, I’ll only talk about one: Apple’s “Mother Nature.”

Launched in September as a part of Apple’s big fall event, the five-minute short film stars Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature, arriving in Cupertino to grill Apple execs, including CEO Tim Cook, for a status report on how the company’s plans are progressing to be fully carbon neutral by 2030. Over the course of the meeting they cover materials, clean energy, transportation, water usage, and more. It’s like the COP summit married a corporate holiday video! The ad came as Apple announced its newest Apple Watch model as its first “completely carbon neutral” product.

“Mother Nature” just oozes money out of every frame. The direction is great. Octavia Spencer had a show on Apple TV+, but Apple canceled it in the spring, so she likely didn’t do this as a favor. As far as CEOs starring in their own ads go, Tim Cook is no Victor Kiam, but he’s logged enough stage time that he still handled the camera pretty well. 

So it’s not the worst ad in the sense of what you might see any time you log onto Twitter. But in terms of the brand and the subject matter, it’s at least the most disappointing. On paper, a lot about this short film reads like a smart move. Here we have Apple, a global giant, using its entertainment chops to appear fallible and human—everyone running around all nervous, anxious to impress Mother Nature. Even Cook. Clichéd? Sure. But it could have worked.

A lot of people—particularly those who work in some part of the advertising industry—loved “Mother Nature.” My LinkedIn feed was filled with praise for it. So to those people, calling this the year’s worst ad may sound cynical. Why can’t you just laugh along and be happy with Apple having some fun in hyping some of its progress?

But let’s be frank: I actually think the ad itself is what’s cynical here. Behind those stylish production values, top-notch cinematography, and Spencer doing her Oscar-winning best with a thankless sassy Black Lady role is a purposeful oversimplification of important climate issues. The ad is designed to make us all feel better about our current levels of consumption. The world is burning, but have you seen the new titanium iPhone?!? It all has a “don’t worry your pretty little head about the planet, you can buy your way to a healthier climate” smugness to it.

Remember, up until the last few months, Apple had been lobbying for years against right-to-repair legislation that just passed in California. Even despite its current support, iFixit.com found that the iPhone 15’s functionality is significantly diminished if parts are replaced with new ones not bought directly from Apple.

That’s all without diving down the wormhole that is the problematic claim of full carbon neutrality, and the dysfunction of offsets. Auden Schendler and Joseph Romm from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media called the ad a piece of “monumental greenwashing.” And they weren’t alone. Ultimately, we don’t need the planet’s most valuable company to humble brag about questionable climate accomplishments aimed at easing our own unsustainable consumer habits.

Apple missed an opportunity here. Instead of treating its climate initiatives as a victory lap or sales-driven differentiation, it should’ve used it to push for more, and help its corporate peers to do the same. Sound impossible? We’re talking about one of the best marketing operations on the planet. So much of its advertising hits the right notes—have you seen that stop-motion holiday spot yet?—but this act of climate concern cosplay was completely flat.

Now on to the Top 5!

5. Chicago Bears “2023 Schedule Reveal”

I’m not shy to admit that I’m a sucker for any unique combo of sports and brand creativity. Over the past few years, teams and clubs around the world have been having more and more fun with announcements like player signings, trades, and game schedules. 

This past May, the Bears used FX’s The Bear, the Chicago-based show, as the setting for its NFL schedule release taking advantage of the series being in peak prestige TV mode in popular culture.

Here’s Charles Tillman as head chef, trying to run the football team’s version of The Beef along with current and former players Anthony Adams, Justin Fields, Darnell Mooney, Kyler Gordon, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and comedian Dyon Brooks, among others. Each of the 17 orders that roll in represent an NFL game, relating back to the opponents. 

It’s a perfect example of the ongoing crossover between pop culture and sports—and perfectly timed. Now, if only the Bears could have used some of that creativity energy to climb out of the NFC North basement.

4. Nissan “Enjoy the Powerfully Peaceful Ariya”

To promote its new electric Ariya SUV, in February Nissan ran this four-hour ad on YouTube, specifically produced for the popular Lofi Girl channel, an animated livestream video backed by relaxing instrumental beats. Nissan got both the sound and visual vibes right, with animation of a woman driving through the countryside, as occasional Ariya billboards drift by.

Created with Google, LA-based Titmouse, and New York-based creative studio The Mayda Creative Co., the spot has attracted more than 18 million views. What I love about this is how it seemingly defies convention—four hours!—but succeeds because of the sheer attention paid to craft and this particular audience. It’s a seemingly deep cut for a niche audience, and they went berserk for it. In the same way Hilton’s 10-minute TikTok in February used an unfamiliar approach in a familiar format, Nissan is showing respect for the viewer, in both the idea and its execution, in a way that most advertising usually chooses not to. 

3. Liquid Death “F*ck Whoever Started This”

In July, Liquid Death dropped this full music video for the track “F*ck Whoever Started This,” off the brand’s new full-length album Greatest Hates Vol. 3. The album is 10 songs featuring lyrics all taken from less-than-friendly comments sent to the brand directly and via social media. Song titles that don’t include curse words or references to bodily fluids include “Worst Name For A Water Company,” “It’s Dumb And I Won’t Buy It,” and “There’s Not Even Alcohol In It.”

As I wrote when it dropped, under its profane exterior this video, and the entire album, is a valuable lesson in how brands should approach navigating the twisted hellscape that is popular culture in the year 2023: Have a point of view, and express it as creatively as possible. This will only become more relevant as we head into what is sure to be a hellscape of an election year. Brands with a distinct point of view build in the confidence and conviction to respond to everything from broader cultural issues to a spicy troll—quickly and authentically. Liquid Death knows that its sense of humor isn’t for everyone, and decides to play with it. Just as it did here, with a few f*cks said and zero f*cks given.

2. Stella Artois “Artois Probability”

“The Peasant Wedding” is a 1567 genre painting by the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, featuring a long table of revelers celebrating a new marriage with food, music, and what could be pitchers of Stella Artois. Well, there’s a 78% chance that the beer pictured is Stella, according to “The Artois Probability.” Created by agency Gut Buenos Aires, it used an algorithm to analyze classic artworks by Van Gogh, Manet, and other legendary painters, to determine the odds that the beer pictured in their work was a Stella, a brand with origins in the 14th century. In April, the agency hosted a show at Buenos Aires’ Bellas Artes Museum where visitors scanned artwork with an augmented reality app to get the Artois Probability score in real time. A record-breaking 24,000 people interacted with the museum web app, and the campaign delivered more than seven million impressions. 

This is technology and experience creatively utilized to deliver a brand insight and fun story, tying great art to its long history, not your average beer ad. 

1. Taco Bell  “Free Taco Tuesday”

This has to be a first, but my favorite ad of the year is a legal filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Back in May, Taco Bell petitioned to cancel the trademark, owned by a smaller taco chain since 1989, asserting the commonly used phrase “should be freely available to all who make, sell, eat, and celebrate tacos.”

Everything a company does is a brand move, and this was one that not only involved Taco Bell marketing and creative, but also relied heavily on its legal department, operations, digital, and more. Everything that followed began with this one filing. Getting LeBron James involved, tying to the NBA star’s long-held affinity for eating tacos on Tuesday. Launching a Change.org petition to get brand fans on board. 

It’s important to remember that the brand did this so anyone could use “Taco Tuesday,” not just Taco Bell. Teaming with DoorDash, the brand put $5 million towards putting tacos from any taco joint on Taco Bell’s tab. More than 20,000 restaurants across 49 states joined in the festivities. Audience engagement in one week surpassed the entirety of last year’s hugely popular relaunch of the Mexican Pizza. The brand also reached out to law-related trade media, as well as law influencers (yep, that’s a thing) who used their social feeds to translate legal jargon for the general public. The result was more than 21 billion earned media impressions and more than 11,000 pieces of media coverage. Now the brand is using Taco Tuesdays for weekly exclusive drops to loyalty members through its app.

A legal filing becomes an ad becomes a campaign becomes an ongoing brand platform. And it all started with this creative piece of paperwork.