In a saturated media landscape, attention is scarce and authenticity matters. To understand what actually drives engagement today, Google deployed its advanced Gemini 1.5 Pro AI to analyse over 8,000 campaigns on YouTube. This large-scale study revealed the traits that distinguish top-performing video content across the globe.
But the story doesn’t end with YouTube. When we compare these insights to what’s happening across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X, a clearer set of creative principles emerges fuelled by emotional depth, personal relevance, and AI-supported adaptability.
One of Gemini’s most consistent findings was that campaigns featuring authentic representation perform better. This doesn’t mean ticking boxes. It means giving meaningful roles to people who’ve historically been underrepresented.
Apple
For example, Apple’s ad “The Lost Voice” features a father in a wheelchair who has lost his ability to speak. Using his iPhone’s personal voice feature, he’s able to read bedtime stories to his daughter. The ad doesn’t pity him, it highlights dignity, agency, and emotional warmth. Likewise, Google Pixel’s “Javier in Frame” follows a blind photographer using Pixel’s AI-powered camera to capture his world. It’s a celebration of accessibility, not a showcase of limitation. These ads connected deeply with audiences, generating millions of views and overwhelmingly positive sentiment.
Peloton’s “Yes. I. Can.” campaign also stood out, featuring an athlete with a prosthetic blade pushing through physical limits. The ad doesn’t mention disability; it shows achievement. This trend was echoed in Lidl France’s “Lidl Kids Team”, where children with disabilities are seamlessly integrated into sports advertising. These stories didn’t rely on tokenism or slogans. They offered human connection. Google’s analysis revealed that such authentic representation led to longer watch times and improved recall.
In 2025, the most compelling ads reflect personal identity. Brands are moving away from broad, generic messaging toward character-led storytelling.
Tissot’s “Off the Cuff” campaign is a strong example. The ad follows five Gen Z characters who showcase their individuality through bold makeup, creative hairstyles and vintage cars. It’s visually arresting and culturally in tune with how younger audiences express themselves. This isn’t about selling watches, it’s about aligning with a worldview rooted in uniqueness and personal style.
Audi also tapped into this trend with its “Living Progress” campaign in the UK. The brand partnered with singer Jorja Smith, documenting her journey from barista to award-winning artist. The story is grounded in real struggle and triumph, and it turns a luxury car brand into a backdrop for aspiration rather than excess. These campaigns succeed because they feel like stories not product placements.
Emotional storytelling with a focus on relationships is increasingly prominent. Ads that highlight family moments, social rituals or shared history build a kind of emotional capital that drives engagement far beyond the runtime of the video.
BMW’s Shorts campaign on YouTube captures this power perfectly. It tells the story of an elderly man returning his driving licence, a quiet moment charged with finality and sadness. But then his son offers to drive him, turning the narrative into one of renewal and respect. Without dialogue, it says everything it needs to say.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo’s Switch campaign also centres on connection. Two sisters bond over their shared love for Super Mario, and the joy spills over to include their mother and grandmother. The ad isn’t about hardware. It’s about intergenerational joy. Viewers commented en masse about how gaming brought their families closer. Google’s Gemini noted a shift from pandemic-era virtual connection to present-day ads showing affection, community, and intentional togetherness.
Ads are also getting more imaginative, often incorporating surrealism or magical elements to cut through the clutter. These campaigns succeed because they start with wonder but land with meaning.
In South Korea, hotel and travel booking platform Yugiohtae released a campaign showing dreamlike winter destinations as a backdrop to a food journey. The visuals are fantastical but grounded in something familiar: the joy of travel and eating. The campaign featured well-known food creators, helping it reach over 23 million views.
Pedigree took a different approach with a boy who imagines his rescue dog’s former life as a kind of space alien odyssey. What could’ve been a flat charity appeal instead becomes a creative journey that deepens emotional resonance. These ads stand out not just because they’re creative but because they invite viewers to imagine something bigger.
One of Gemini’s most compelling insights was that viewers trust creators more than brands and that trust spills over. People are more likely to believe in a product if they see someone they follow use it.
Lululemon demonstrated this with a campaign starring YouTuber Casey Neistat. Rather than pushing product features, the ad simply follows Neistat being himself running, filming, living. Viewers flooded the comments with trust-based intent. Many stated outright that they would buy because Neistat was involved.
Axe took a bolder approach by inviting athletes to do a blind smell test between Axe and a high-end designer fragrance. The reactions were authentic, surprising, and funny. While the 30-second TV ad was impactful, the longer two-minute YouTube version captured real emotion and delivered over 700,000 views. Audiences reward transparency. They like to see the full story, not just the polished cut.
Short-form videos, especially YouTube Shorts, are also proving to be powerful. McDonald’s used Shorts to tell the story of Chicken McNuggets in a playful history lesson. The ad picked up over 200,000 likes, a signal that people enjoy educational or behind-the-scenes content that feels light and snackable.
Gemini’s insights align with broader industry data. On TikTok, brands are leaning into authenticity by partnering with niche creators and using AI tools like Symphony to generate scalable content. These creators offer more than reach; they offer credibility. TikTok also reports that content focused on self-care and non-traditional life milestones is outperforming status-driven messaging.
On Instagram, Reels now make up more than 55% of ad spend. Meta’s AI-driven personalisation engine has improved performance by up to 50%, reducing cost-per-click by 35%. Filters, polls, and AR tools are doubling engagement and lifting brand recall.
Facebook continues to see user-generated content outperform traditional ads, with engagement rates nearly seven times higher. On LinkedIn, short videos from founders and personal anecdotes are now driving more reach and response than standard business content.
AI personalisation isn’t about faking intimacy. It’s about relevance. Platforms like Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn use machine learning to assemble dynamic creative combinations: headlines, imagery, colours, and deliver them to the right person at the right time. The AI learns from behaviour patterns, adjusts in real-time, and drops poor performers automatically.
For the user, it feels like the ad speaks directly to them. For the brand, it means scaled relevance without needing to manually create thousands of variations. Personal, yes. Human-made, not necessarily. But that’s the point.
Google’s Gemini research doesn’t just reveal what works, it uncovers why it works. The best ads in 2025 are those that understand cultural shifts and individual moments. They’re emotional. They’re personal. They’re intentional. AI helps identify these patterns. But it’s creative teams who give them purpose.
In a digital space full of noise, the ads people remember are the ones that make them feel something. Representation. Connection. Wonder. Trust. These are not optional. They are the foundation of modern storytelling in advertising.
If your brand isn't speaking to people with that clarity, someone else will.
on August 5th, 2025