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It’s OK to be jealous in the ad industry. Seeing amazing work from other agencies can make any creative say “I wish I had done that,” and there’s nothing wrong with being a little covetous.
The Jealous List is back for another year, with a look at some of the best spots of 2023. We asked creatives from agencies big and small, independent and network, to give us feedback on campaigns that gave them a tinge of jealousy.
Unsurprisingly, the marketing juggernaut that was the Barbie movie, which updated a beloved character and made her human, inspired the most jealousy. But those interviewed also came up with some interesting campaigns that may not have been seen by mass audiences, so take a look and see if these efforts make you a bit green-eyed.
Check out editions of The Jealous List from prior years: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
Barbie | Mattel and other brands, multiple agencies and in-house
Barbie was everywhere in 2023, and several creatives lauded the massive marketing efforts behind both the movie and the Mattel doll.
Jaime Robinson, co-founder and CCO, Joan
The best ad of 2023—or even the last decade—was the Barbie movie. What a powerful piece of filmmaking. I laughed, I cried. But also, a powerful piece of marketing. My teenagers are way too old for Barbie, but were arguing on the way home about which of the new dolls they wanted to buy. And I’ve seen “I Am Kenough” hoodies on grown men on the streets of NYC.
And by the way, this doesn’t even take into consideration the total mega machine of collabs and partner promos, from Cold Stone Creamery to Airbnb to Crocs. Honestly, I’ve never so enjoyed watching a two-hour ad. The secret? It didn’t try to hide what it was, and still delivered enough emotion and silliness to make it abso-freakin’-lutely delightful.
Kelly Conkright, founder, The Brand Terminal
The year the world turned pink. The campaign launch for the Barbie movie was so ubiquitous that I bet you will be able to recount who you saw it with and what you were wearing many years from now. Or at least Instagram can tell you by aggregating the AI-powered selfies that allowed consumers to create personalized versions of the movie poster.
