Purpose-driven marketing wins the votes of brand leaders in Advertisers Watching Ads’ 2021 League Table

Advertisers Watching Ads is Automated Creative’s marketing entertainment show, where brand leaders watch other brands’ ads and share their views on the campaign. At the end of each episode brands give the ads a vote out of five and we’ve collated these scores into the AWA League Table. This year, it was purpose-driven marketing that led to the highest scoring ads - with Corona’s ‘Plastic Fishing Tournament’ by We Believers taking the top spot.

Corona Plastic Fishing Tournament Ad

Studies show that 63% of global consumers prefer to purchase from brands who are purpose-driven. And this doesn’t have to be just those whose business model is built on making a positive change in the world (like Patagonia, for example). As long as brands make a conscious effort to support important initiatives, 70% of consumers state that they’re more likely to recommend them to others. 

It’s no wonder, then, that in 2021, we’ve seen some amazing initiatives and stories brought forward in the ads chosen by our partners Contagious for Advertisers Watching Ads. Brands like Diesel chose to highlight the gender transition journey in their ad, Budweiser talked about the gender pay gap in sports, and Degree focused on breaking down misconceptions of what an athlete’s body should look like.

Voting on the ads during Advertisers Watching Ads

But is a good purpose enough to make a great ad? We asked our guests to score the ads on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best score) for both idea and execution, at the end of each episode. 

This is how we found that execution and actual on-the-ground impact mattered, too. It’s what’s made our top scorer, the Corona Plastic Fishing Tournament, such a success. Not only does Corona address a true and present danger to the environment, they’re also making a difference to fishermen’s bottom line by paying them for the plastic they collect. At the end of the day, it’s also a beautifully shot ad - so the execution is flawless. 

Here are all of this year’s ads with their scores.  Have a look and tell us if you agree with our guests’ scores:

 
Automated Creative