System1, The Creative Effectiveness Platform, unveils the ads of the month for June. System1’s Test Your Ad platform measures consumers’ emotional responses to ads to predict their commercial potential. Creative is assigned a score of 1.0 to 5.9 Stars based on long-term brand-building potential. Ads that make people feel intense, positive emotions like happiness and surprise score high on the scale. Usually just 1% of ads secure a 5-Star score.

Building a Modern Brand – Hawkstone Beer

A Year’s Graft in Every Pint (UK) 4.8 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report

Jeremy Clarkson's first Hawkstone TV ad isn't just the best beer ad of 2026 so far. It's a lesson in how modern brands are built.

The ad lands in the top 3% of beer ads we've ever tested for long-term effectiveness. That's remarkable for a challenger brand competing against category giants with generations of brand equity behind them.

What makes it work isn't just a strong execution. It's the culmination of years of narrative building. Clarkson's Farm, the farming story, the PR stunts, the cast of characters. The advertising succeeds because the brand has already given people something to care about.

Most importantly, Hawkstone is carving out a distinctive position in a category dominated by global players. While others compete on heritage or refreshment, Hawkstone stands for something more specific: British farming, local craft and authenticity. The ad turns those assets into emotion, entertainment and memory.

The opportunity now is the next stage of growth. Building more Hawkstone equity beyond the fame of Jeremy Clarkson and his supporting cast. That's a good problem to have, and a fascinating one to watch.

Create the Conversation – EE

Yes Boys (UK) 4.8 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report

EE's World Cup campaign is proof that cultural relevance doesn't come from chasing culture. It comes from having something meaningful to say about it.

The ad scored in the top 1% for predicted long-term brand growth in System1 testing. More impressively, it achieved near-perfect emotional scores with Gen Z boys, a group that can spot anything preachy, performative or inauthentic from a mile away.

That's what makes this campaign so interesting.

EE has taken on one of the biggest cultural conversations surrounding modern football. The sort of territory that could easily have felt forced or opportunistic. Instead, it lands because the brand has genuine permission to participate. While many World Cup campaigns are content to celebrate the tournament, EE brings a point of view.

The result is an ad that feels both culturally relevant and emotionally powerful. Not because it's chasing attention, but because it's creating it.

At a time when marketers are told that big ideas matter less than content volume, this is a reminder that distinctive brand building still wins. The campaigns people remember, talk about and share are rarely the ones designed to disappear into the feed.

This is the kind of advertising that creates fame. The kind that sparks conversations long after the final whistle. And the research suggests that impact will be felt for years to come.

Brand vs Talent – Uber Eats | Mother

Who Could Cook at a Time Like This? 4.3 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report

Uber Eats' first global brand campaign shows just how hard it is to make simplicity look easy.

The ad landed in the top 2% of all ads tested by System1 for predicted long-term brand growth. Not because it reinvents the category, but because it executes the fundamentals exceptionally well.

Celebrity advertising often struggles when the celebrity becomes bigger than the brand. Gordon Ramsay is everywhere right now, which makes this result even more impressive. Rather than overwhelming the message, he amplifies it.

The campaign combines strong emotional engagement with excellent branding and immediate sales potential. Most importantly, it creates clear category memory. Nearly half of viewers came away with a strong association to food delivery, exactly the job a global campaign like this needs to do.

That's what stands out. In a category full of noise, Uber Eats has produced a campaign that is entertaining, distinctive and relentlessly focused on the commercial objective.

A reminder that the best advertising doesn't just get noticed. It makes the right thing memorable.