A successful advertising campaign is one that catches customers’ attention and includes a memorable slogan or image. But considering the fact that most people consciously see **around 100 advertisements every single day**, we definitely can’t remember them all. So it’s particularly impressive when a marketing campaign is still going viral decades after it was first published.

We took a trip to **Vintage Ads Collections** on Instagram and compiled a list of their most fascinating posts below. Some of these images might still be a hit today, while others might get someone fired if they were proposed in a meeting nowadays. But they’re certainly entertaining and wonderful little time capsules!

![Vintage ads showing changing values with a humorous van ad claiming to attract more women than a Lamborghini.](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bu4YEgdAPui-png__605.jpg)

We might be exposed to more ads and commercials today than ever before in human history, but the idea of advertising itself is certainly not a new concept. According to Instapage, the first signs of advertisements actually appeared in ancient Egyptian steel carvings from 2000 BC. Meanwhile, the first printed ad was published in 1472, when William Caxton decided to advertise a book by posting flyers on church doors in England.

Over 200 years later, the first newspaper ad in the United States was published in 1704. And by 1835, Americans were advertising on big billboards all across the country, with some of the first ads encouraging viewers to see the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus. Advertising through the mail, however, didn’t become popular until Sears started sending out postcards in 1892.

![Vintage ad showing a black cat watching a fish on a retro Philips television, illustrating changing values over time.](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BqnluxkgkLT-png__605.jpg)

Advertising completely changed in the 20th Century when companies had the opportunity to reach their customers directly through the radio. In 1922, the cost of a 10-minute advertising slot on the radio cost $50, or what would be about $965 today. Then, in 1935, George Gallup started utilizing **market research**, which allowed companies to find out information about their consumers and determine the best ways to advertise to them.

Advertising was also forever changed after companies were given the opportunity to start marketing via television. This began in 1941, and it became the main method of reaching customers for the next 70 years.

![1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Camper GL vintage ad illustrating changing and enduring values in classic vehicle marketing.](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CQKnk8MACkW-png__605.jpg)

Of course, advertising through magazines was also extremely popular during the 20th Century, as most, if not all, of the ads in this article were featured in print. Many of these ads, especially the older ones, look quite foreign to us today because they have *so many words*. Nowadays, most of our attention spans have been ruined by social media and short-form content, so the idea of reading multiple paragraphs of an advertisement sounds like a huge waste of time. We can barely suffer through 15 seconds of ads on YouTube! But back in the day, when this was one of the only ways to reach customers, it worked brilliantly.

By the mid 1990s, companies finally had the opportunity to reach consumers through their computers. And according to Okoone, even that has transformed drastically over the past few decades. It started out with simple banner ads, which soon turned into **search engine advertising**. And by 2005, digital advertising was a multi-billion dollar industry. Google was the first to utilize this kind of marketing to its full potential, but Yahoo and Microsoft were successful as well.

![Vintage ad showing Smokehouse almonds with a beer glass and black-and-white TV in the background, highlighting changing values.](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bu5hFpkgnpR-png__605.jpg)

Once social media exploded in popularity, it absolutely changed the advertising game. The advantages that these platforms had, Okoone explains, is large amounts of **user-generated data**. This made it much easier to target consumers with ads for products and services that they would genuinely be interested in. And now, as we all know, if you start talking about a specific product or issue, Instagram will suspiciously start showing you ads for exactly what you were discussing.

Just like any other industry, though, advertising is constantly changing. So Forbes notes that companies need to learn how to adapt if they want to keep up. Figuring out how to utilize popular platforms is a necessity. Nowadays, many companies need to create a TikTok account or use **influencer marketing** to get the word out about their products. It’s not easy to grab consumers’ attention anymore, so businesses can’t rely on the same strategies that yielded success five or ten years ago.

It’s also crucial for companies to optimize efficiency if they want to remain competitive. “In December 2020, we teamed up with a well-known brand to produce a TV commercial through creator content filmed entirely remotely,” Corbett Drummey wrote for Forbes. “The brand quickly received 118 video assets from creators, reduced its production time by 50% and cut 30% of its traditional production cost. The success of this unique piece of content resulted from testing a new agile approach.”

![Vintage ad showing Sealtest red white and blueberry ice cream representing changing and lasting values in vintage ads.](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8176930844_d057978bae_o-69737f7958f7f__605.jpg)

Are you enjoying this list full of blasts from the past? Keep upvoting the ads that definitely would have caught your eye if you saw them in a magazine, and let us know in the comments below if you remember any other famous marketing campaigns from your youth.

Times are constantly changing. You might look back at your Instagram feed from two years ago and wonder what the heck you were posting. So it's even more jarring to see advertisements from 50 years ago. But they're definitely entertaining! We've compiled a list of fascinating vintage advertisements that you definitely wouldn't find in magazines today. . Curiosities, History

80 Vintage Ads That Show How Marketing Has Evolved (And What We Can Learn)

# YouGov's 2026 Best Brand Rankings: Key Insights for Marketers

Market research giant YouGov has released its **Best Brand Rankings 2026**, highlighting the strongest brands in the U.S. and globally. The list is based on 6 million consumer surveys across 28 markets, scoring brands on metrics like **impression, quality, value, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, and recommendations**.

## U.S. Top 10 Brands: Consistency and Everyday Relevance

In the U.S., the top 10 brands are dominated by household names that have become part of daily life:
1. **Amazon**
2. Band-Aid
3. Dawn
4. Dove
5. Samsung
6. **St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital**
7. M&M’s
8. Amazon Prime
9. YouTube
10. Tylenol

**Amazon** maintains its No. 1 spot, with consumers praising it for being **fast, easy, and comprehensive**, setting the standard for modern shopping. However, concerns about ethics, product quality, and authenticity were noted.

**St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital** stands out as an outlier among tech and consumer brands, ranking highly in the advocacy and giving sector. YouGov tailors questions to measure value for charities by assessing whether they provide good value for the time or money invested by supporters.

Ray Martin, CEO at YouGov America, emphasized: "In both the U.S. and globally, the strongest performers are brands that have become part of everyday life, consistently meeting consumer expectations around **quality, value, and experience**."

## Global Top 10 Brands: Tech and Athletic Dominance

Globally, the top 10 features tech platforms and athletic brands:
1. **WhatsApp**
2. Samsung
3. YouTube
4. Google
5. Adidas
6. Nike
7. Netflix
8. Dettol
9. Colgate
10. Toyota

Brandy Hecke, senior enterprise account director at YouGov, noted: "The strongest brands today aren’t necessarily the loudest. They are the most embedded. Many of these brands are at the top because they sit naturally in everyday routines." She added that **habit beats hype**, with platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp performing well because people return to them instinctively.

## Most Improved Brands in the U.S.

The survey also highlights the most-improved brands based on year-over-year scores:
1. **Cheerios**
2. Reese’s
3. Skechers
4. General Mills
5. Lindt
6. Jersey Mike’s
7. Band-Aid
8. Johnson & Johnson
9. Dunkin’
10. Tyson

**Cheerios** boosted its visibility with a major campaign promoting its new higher protein cereal and brought back a limited-edition frosted lemon flavor, generating buzz and engagement. Ryan Gross, senior vice president at YouGov, explained: "Ongoing **product innovation and portfolio updates** keep a brand like Cheerios relevant while evolving consumer tastes change."

Brands like **Skechers** and **Reese’s** capitalized on cultural moments, such as the Super Bowl, with campaigns that reinforced their identities.

## Key Takeaways for Marketers

- **Value and trust** are critical for brand health in the U.S., as highlighted by YouGov executives.
- Strong brands focus on **doing the right things repeatedly** in ways that fit into people’s lives, rather than just doing more.
- **Consistency and delivery** build trust, as seen with brands like Samsung and Toyota.
- Brands that perform well combine **scale with everyday relevance** and score high on quality and recommendations.

The full list is available for download on YouGov's website.

From tech platforms to candy companies, here’s how some of the highest-ranking brands earned their spot on the list.

YouGov Reveals 2026's Top Brands: Amazon, WhatsApp, and St. Jude Lead the Pack

**What a morning it has been in Australian media.**

Just before 9am today, it was announced that **Nine had acquired outdoor firm QMS in a $850 million deal** and had sold its radio assets.

It’s no secret that Nine has been looking to offload **2GB, 3AW, 4BC, 6PR, 2UE, Magic1278 and 4BH** but the buyer—the **Laundy Family Office**—has got chins wagging, to say the least.

“Did anyone forecast an **octogenarian hotelier** as a likely buyer of several leading radio stations? I think not,” said **Chris Walton**, Nunn Media’s Sydney MD.

![Chris Walton](https://www.bandt.com.au/information/uploads/2026/01/Chris-Walton-280x280.jpg)

**Arthur Laundy** owns more than 90 pubs, bars and hotels across NSW and is seen as the biggest competitor to Justin Hemmes’ Merivale. The family’s surprising move into media has been seen as not only a **smart business decision** but a **strong political move**.

“In pure business terms, buying cash-generating assets for a fraction of their cost of just a few years ago, is the type of deal that explains why billionaires are billionaires. And for someone worth almost $2 billion, spending $50 million on something is hardly betting the farm,” continued Walton.

“Given the well known political leanings in the family, this move may well be to help protect and grow **conservative voices in the media**. Radio stations 2GB and the *Sydney Morning Herald* were always odd bedfellows, so perhaps there is a desire to ‘free’ up the content (i.e. turn right). It could well help the networks strengthen their identity and link to their core audiences given they will emerge from under Nine’s corporate umbrella. But watch out for a new owner without hands-on media experience falling into the ‘everything is for sale’ trap, which will undermine the very listener relationships that this purchase may be aiming to strengthen.”

**Virginia Hyland**, CEO of SQUAD M&A also saw the play as a political one.

“The sale of the talk radio network to Laundy is not simply a financial transaction; it’s a **strategic repositioning of influence**. For a business leader like Laundy, radio offers more than commercial return — it provides a platform to participate in opinion, shape conversation and exert soft influence across civic, social and political discourse. In that context, Nine’s move sharpens its focus on scalable, commercially driven media infrastructure, while Laundy’s entry reflects a different motivation: one rooted in voice, advocacy and presence in public debate,” said Hyland.

![Virginia Hyland](https://www.bandt.com.au/information/uploads/2026/01/virginia-hyland-500x500.jpg)

However, **Darren Woolley**, founder and global CEO at Trinity P3 saw this move by the lord of the lager as strictly a **business opportunity**.

“Is this an Australian-scale version of what happens in the US with all the billionaires buying media outlets?” he said.

He wondered if this is an opportunity for the Laundys to promote their other businesses of running venues across the nation.

“You may as well pay the money to yourself indirectly and, hopefully, get some sort of tax benefit at the same time,” he suggested.

On the other side of the sale, Woolley said that the reshuffle of Nine’s portfolio was a **calculated play**.

“This is a strategic investment for Nine, offloading the difficult radio network business, because they’ve never seemed to be able to fully integrated into the rest of the offering. And you would think that being a broadcast business primarily, with a publishing arm, that that they would have been able to do that, but it was always a struggle. Whereas QMS is a strong investment, because you’ve seen outdoor spending hold up pretty well over the last five years.”

![Darren Woolley](https://www.bandt.com.au/information/uploads/2025/10/darren-woolley.png)

**Paul Sinkinson**, managing director, Australia and Asia of Analytic Partners, thought the move was “surprising” even despite Nine’s efforts at “shaking things up”.

“It’s encouraging to see a media company thinking differently, rather than doing more of the same,” he told *B&T*.

“When you look at Nine’s own statements, the rationale starts to make sense: out-of-home is fairly resilient and it’s one of the few channels still experiencing sustained growth. In that context, the acquisition feels logical, particularly when you compare it to channels like radio, which haven’t seen the same momentum.”

![Paul Sinkinson](https://www.bandt.com.au/information/uploads/2026/01/KCP_5804R-2-scaled.jpg)

But he did see this as an exciting opening for TVCs and billboards to be utilised in a more creative way.

“There’s also an interesting opportunity around how this could evolve buying and targeting. Purely demographic-based buys are increasingly limiting – we’ve seen consistently stronger results when campaigns move beyond that approach. This acquisition potentially brings Nine closer to more sophisticated targeting, especially when you consider how out-of-home data and behavioural datasets have evolved in recent years,” said Sinkinson.

“Where I’d really love to see this go is in creativity. For a long time, we’ve talked about how many out-of-home billboards are effectively just the end frame of a TVC. If planning and creative discussions are happening together earlier and more holistically, this could unlock a step-change in creative quality for out-of-home. That, for me, is one of the most exciting possibilities to come out of this move.”

Meanwhile, **Taylor Fielding**, CEO of TFM Digital, had this to say:

“Nine has historically been very broadcast-focused, so for many this is a surprising but understandable repositioning. For us, QMS has been a great digital OOH partner. They have some of the best placements for local campaigns, have remained very future-focused and we’ve been trading their amazing assets for a number of years.

“This news is very relevant for our multi-location clients as it will support and supercharge connection to hyper-local audiences. It will make Nine’s ecosystem very competitive if Matt Stanton’s ‘Sofa to Street’ positioning delivers as promised.”

Does Laundy's acquisition pass the pub test? Come and meet B&T at the Cricketers Arms to have your say.

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