How we choose ads

Damn Good Ads lists ads that are studied, not just remembered. Being famous isn't enough: each entry has to answer the question "why is this still worth learning from?"

What gets in

An ad qualifies when at least one of these is documented:

• A breakthrough in craft: copy, art direction, film-making or technology that changed how ads are made.
• A strategy that changed things for the industry, a category or a brand.
• A documented result: sales, behaviour change or cultural impact reported by a credible source.
• Recognition: a Cannes Lions Grand Prix or Titanium Lion, a D&AD Black Pencil, a One Show Best of Show, an Effie, a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Commercial, a place in Ad Age's list of the top 100 campaigns of the 20th century, or a museum collection.

We look for great work from every decade and every country, not only the US and the UK.

How each entry is sourced

• Every entry cites at least two sources, and every factual claim in its explanation is supported by one of them.
• We prefer award bodies, museums and archives, brand and agency records, trade press such as Ad Age, Adweek, Campaign, The Drum and Creative Review, and major newspapers. We don't cite Wikipedia.
• When a result comes only from the brand or its agency, the text says so.
• Explanations are written in our own words, and quotes from ads are kept short.
• Every link is checked before an entry is published.

Images and video

• Commercials and films are embedded from YouTube uploads that clearly show the work, preferring official brand and agency channels, award bodies and archives.
• Print and poster work in the public domain is shown as a scan from a museum, library or archive: work published in 1930 or earlier, US government posters, and British posters whose Crown copyright has expired.
• Other entries show a still from a case film or report that clearly shows the work, or a typographic card. We never use AI-generated or recreated images of ads.

How entries are made

Research is carried out with the help of AI research assistants, which gather sources and draft entries. Every entry is checked against its sources before it is published, and entries are corrected as better sources appear. Each page shows when it was last updated.

Order and featured ads

Lists run newest first. Featured ads, chosen by the editors, lead the rows on the home page.