Andrew Tindall shares what campaigns are scoring highly in System1’s effectiveness measurement testing this month.
System1, The Creative Effectiveness Platform, unveils the ads of the month for March.
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.
The Glovers (UK) 5.3 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report
I’ll admit it, I nearly dismissed this one. Too silly. Not quite “cool.” Easy to scroll past.
Then the reminder: I’m not the consumer.
A look at System1’s data tells a very different story. Home and Garden is one of the dullest categories, with 57% of consumers feeling nothing towards the ads. This does the opposite. It makes compost entertaining, with distinctive characters and a jingle that sticks.
And it’s not just fun for the sake of it. Animated characters are +25% more emotional on average, drive stronger brand recognition, and deliver +24% more business impact.
This is creativity doing real work.
Next time you’re quick to judge something as not quite cool enough to share, remember: it’s probably the ad working overtime on consumers, the only people that matter.
Two is More Than One (UK) 5.3 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report
Twix reminds us what great brand building looks like. A simple product truth, two fingers, turned into a distinctive, emotional idea: two is More than one.
System1 testing shows this is advertising that works. It scores 5.3 Stars, signalling strong emotional response and long-term impact. Crucially, it stays unmistakably Twix, with 90% brand recognition.
This is compound creativity in action. The same idea, assets and positioning, executed with ruthless consistency.
And it doesn’t forget showmanship. Character, humour and cultural fluency keep it fresh and engaging.
A masterclass in making a simple benefit do serious commercial work.
Check Out of The Ordinary (AU) 4.2 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report
Travel is one of the most emotional categories in System1’s database, but also one of the least distinctive. A sea of beautiful landscapes and glossy escapes, where 28% of viewers can’t recall the brand behind the ad.
Apollo faces an even tougher challenge. Motorhomes don’t scream glamour, so competing on polish alone is a losing game. Instead, they reframe the category. Not ordinary, but a chance to break from it.
Animation, aliens, and offbeat humour bring that idea to life. It’s surprising, distinctive, and unmistakably branded.
A smart example of how stepping outside category conventions is what makes you memorable.
Andrew champions modern marketing effectiveness in a practical way, reconnecting media and creative. Responsible for System1’s thought leadership and global agency partnerships, he's created key publications exploring emotion and creativity’s role in effectiveness across the media mix. Set on making effectiveness for all, Andrew has a weekly The Drum column and booming LinkedIn presence.
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