Big blue monster more memorable than the Telstrut: Cubery
Australian Retirement Trust's big blue monster is glued in the minds of Australians
Australian Retirement Trust’s commercial starring a big fuzzy blue monster is more memorable than Telstra’s “Wherever We Go” campaign, according to Cubery’s quarterly ‘Hot List’, which tracks the most salient commercials in Australia.
The Cubery Hot List asks Australians each week to recall one ad that has stuck with them recently, regardless of whether they love it or hate it. This longitudinal research is a marker of salience, rather than popularity, with the most recalled advertisements often splitting the audience in regards to whether or not they actually like the commercial.
The M&C Saatchi-made “you’re sitting on a monster” commercial for ART has beaten out Telstra’s second iteration of the “Wherever We Go” campaign to be the most recalled ad for the first quarter of 2026.
Both ads have a loose 70:30 split in regards to the love/hate relationship of those who recalled the commercial.
Allianz’ emotionally laden “Flight of the Finch” campaign was the third most memorable — the top three ads make up 64% of mentions — with Budget Direct’s “Frozen” campaign, the latest in the long-running boiler plate detective series, in equal fourth (alongside Didi’s “Yes, I Didi” campaign) with just 7% of recall mentions apiece.
Westpac and Toyota have both landed new campaigns into the top ten.
Westpac’s punny “Double You” platform is making its mark with viewers, as is the new Toyota Hilux “Pied Piper” commercial.
Toyota’s cute new campaign was recently rapped by Ad Standards for featuring a big pile of untethered dogs in the back of a ute which, the watchdog ruled, “appears to be contrary to state and territory rules pertaining to the transport of animals.”
Wil Logan, senior consultant at Cubery said this quarter’s list shows “the power of storytelling is alive and well within the Australian advertising industry.
“Taking people on an emotional journey has always been a cornerstone of highly effective advertising, and these campaigns provide a terrific demonstration of how emotion can be effectively leveraged to build stickiness.”
Check out the full list, below:
