System, The Creative Effectiveness Platform, unveils the ads of the month for September. System1’s Test Your Adplatform 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. 

September Star Power – Uber Eats (Market: UK)

“When You’ve Done Enough” 4.4 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report  

Is it that time of year already? Hot chocolate, whipped cream, and Jude Law brooding in a park like it’s a Richard Curtis outtake. Not quite. But Uber Eats’ latest ad is giving us festive tingles anyway.

The spot stars Hollywood heartthrob Jude Law, but instead of playing the charming romantic lead, he plays… Jude Law, exasperated that his on-screen romance persona won’t leave him alone. It’s a self-aware, self-deprecating performance that’s a far cry from the wooden, script-reading celeb endorsements we usually see.

Orlando Wood’s work in Lemon and Look out shows that celebrities usually struggle when it comes to building long-term effectiveness (brand characters like Tony the Tiger tend to outperform them in Star Ratings), yet Uber Eats has hacked the system.

Why? Because Law isn’t just lending star power, he’s leaning into parody, making himself the punchline. Combine that with consistently clear Uber Eats branding baked into the story, and you get the rare ad where the celeb lifts both short-term activation and long-term brand building.

The result? A festive reminder that, when you get it right (and poke fun at Jude Law along the way), you can have your star power and a ‘Strong’ Star Rating too.

Seasonal Surprise – M&M’s “Scary Movie” (Market: USA)

4.4 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report

We are deep in spooky season, which for chocolate and confectionery brands means one thing: the fight to be remembered is scarier than the costumes. In a category already rich with emotional appeal, the real challenge is standing out. On social media, that task is even trickier, with digital ads averaging just 2.5 seconds of attention before audiences scroll away.

Enter M&M’s. Armed with their long-running character fluent devices, the cheeky little spokescandies manage to make their mark almost instantly. In just 2.5 seconds, 93% of viewers knew exactly who the ad was for. Even better, people watched 96% of the spot’s duration, and it landed a Star Rating of 4.9.

Verbatim feedback shows the characters were the main reason viewers felt happy, proving that familiarity breeds not contempt but contentment. In a cluttered category, that consistency and humour turn fleeting attention into lasting recall.

Category Cut Through – Peugeot “Crosswalk” (Market: Germany)

4.0 Star Rating Test Your Ad Report

Another ad cutting through its category this month is Peugeot. Not by rolling out a fluent device, but by daring to break free from the “sea of sameness” that automotive is famous for. Car ads have built a reputation for formula: glossy product shots, heavy voiceovers, thumping soundtracks, and walls of on-screen text. Orlando Wood calls these “left-brained features”, appealing to the small percentage of people in immediate buying mode while neglecting the 95% who might buy in the future.

Peugeot Germany took a different route. Their latest social ad leans into character, humour, sense of place and betweenness. These “right-brained features” capture attention and build emotional connection. They are also proven to drive stronger commercial outcomes, and the numbers back it up with a strong 4.0 Star Rating and an exceptional Spike Rating that signals effective short-term sales potential.

It is refreshing to see an automotive brand ditch the formula and entertain us instead. Turns out, cars do not just drive on roads. With the right creative approach, they can drive long-term brand growth too.