Australia’s 10 Most Unforgettable Ads: Telstra’s ‘Wherever We Go’ tops Cubery Hot List Q3 2025

In a media landscape where standing out has never been tougher, The Cubery Hot List serves as the barometer for marketers and agencies—ranking Australia’s 10 most memorable ads, as recalled by everyday consumers. Every month, Cubery asks thousands of Australians a simple question: “Can you recall an ad from the past few months that really stuck with you—whether you loved it or hated it?”

This longitudinal study maps the intersection of emotion, attention, and media muscle—revealing what’s really cutting through, getting noticed, and striking a chord with the general public. And the latest quarterly results see a familiar name top the list as the most memorable ad in Australia right now.

This quarter’s Top 10 saw Telstra’s whistling earworm “Wherever We Go” (Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with +61) maintain its position as the nation’s most unforgettable ad, but only just. Allianz’s “Flight of the Finch” (Howatson+Company) closed the gap considerably in Q3 to sit just behind in second place, with Australian Retirement Trust’s affable blue monster (M+C Saatchi) continuing to remain at the forefront of Aussies’ minds, rounding out the Top 3.

Overall, big, bold storytelling was the main theme that came to the fore in Q3. CBA’s desert dream chasers (M+C Saatchi), DiDi’s fever dreamscape (Sunday Gravy), and Telstra’s sci-fi spectacle (Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with +61) all made their way into the Top 10, with Kia Tasman’s ever-expanding fictional township (Innocean Australia) maintaining its place in the Top 10.

Senior Consultant at Cubery, Caitlyn Ferruccio, says of the Top 10 ads: “Of particular note was the vastly different strategies adopted by the best performing ads from an emotional standpoint. From the universal warmth of Kia’s humorous storytelling and star-studded cast to the complete other end of the spectrum with Didi’s highly polarising “Yes, I Didi,” it’s a reminder that advertisers have an almost endless array of emotions at their disposal for cutting through and getting noticed. There really is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.”

But big and bold isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for creating highly sticky, effective advertising. According to Ferruccio: “Sometimes, all that’s needed is a little down-to-earth relatability. Aldi’s ‘Everyday low prices’ (BMF) is based on a simple insight that’s highly memorable because it plays into that dead-pan Australian humour, while RACQ (VML) and Bunnings have continued to focus single-mindedly on the community and reinforcing their local roots.”

Check out The Cubery’s Q2 ranking here.