The Research Agency has revealed Australia’s most loved ads for 2026, with Budget Direct taking the top spot through its long-running “Insurance Solved” platform.
The study, based on responses from more than 1,600 Australians, found the country’s favourite ads share one defining trait: they stand apart from everything else in their category.
The top five
This year’s top five campaigns span a range of categories and creative styles:
Budget Direct – Insurance Solved
Allianz – Care You Can Count On
Toyota HiLux – Oh What a Feeling
Youi – Married at First Sight Australia
Telstra – Wherever We Go
Despite their differences, a strong majority of respondents said there were “not many ads like this”, highlighting uniqueness as a key driver of effectiveness.
No single formula
Alex Forrester, Business Director at TRA, said the results challenge marketers to rethink standardised approaches to creativity.
“What stands out is not how similar these ads are, but how different they are. There’s no single formula for being a favourite ad, but the ads that perform best do three things well: they capture attention, make audiences feel something, and are clearly linked to the brand,” he said.
TRA’s Creative Edge framework measures performance across three pillars: Remarkable, Rewarding and Remembered, with each of the top campaigns delivering against these drivers in different ways.
Forrester added: “The key takeaway for brands is to start with a clear, distinctive emotional idea. From there, choose a strong creative route and commit to it fully. Australia’s favourite ads are remarkable in how they capture attention, rewarding in the emotional experience they create for audiences, and remembered because the brand is clearly and unmistakably linked to the creative. Consistency is what strengthens those memory structures over time and ultimately drives real impact.”
Budget Direct leads the pack
Budget Direct’s “Insurance Solved” platform continues to reshape the insurance category through entertainment-led storytelling.
Its latest execution builds on a consistent brand world featuring recurring characters such as Sarge, Jacs and Chief, using humour and narrative to embed the brand into the creative itself.
The brand accounted for around 25% of all mentions in the top five, highlighting the platform’s strength.
Jody Elston, CSO at 303, said the result reflects years of consistent creative investment.
“From the outset, we set out to build ‘Insurance Solved’ as an enduring platform, using fresh storytelling to drive attention. We know our brains respond to both familiarity and surprise, and our latest ‘Frozen’ campaign leans into that. It dramatises ‘bill shock’ by literally freezing the heroine and her world, blending the characters and hyperbolic, fantastical action Budget Direct is known for with the very real current pressure of rising insurance costs.”
Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer at Auto & General at Budget Direct, said the recognition reflects a strong connection with the audience.
“Every day we push ourselves back into our customers’ shoes and wonder how we can continue to earn their engagement. Our marketing team and agency partners work passionately to deliver on our strategy of high-quality, creative consistency powered by outstanding media planning and execution, so to see our ads resonating so well with the public means the world to us all.”
Standing out matters
Forrester said the findings offer a clear takeaway for marketers navigating a crowded media landscape.
“The most successful campaigns are those that are unmistakably their own. In a crowded and fragmented market where consumer attention is limited, it’s not about doing the same thing better, it’s about doing something different, and doing it well.”
TRA’s Favourite Ads survey is conducted regularly across Australia and New Zealand, with the latest wave fielded between 24 February and 22 March 2026.
Main image: Budget Direct – Insurance Solved