At the end of a frantic year of technological anticipation, social media upheaval and bulldozed budgets, it’s time to reflect on the 10 stories that most stood out to our wonderful readers, with a local campaign topping the list.

Good campaigns are as popular as ever, accounting for the majority of stories with six, but elements of controversy and novelty have similarly propelled stories up the list.

These are the 10 most-read articles of 2023.

Marketing Mag’s most read articles this year

10. ‘Get almost, almost anything’ with Tom Felton and Nicola Coughlan in Uber Eats’ latest campaign

Uber Eats reminded us in a twist of the ‘Get almost, almost anything’ campaign that not quite everything is available for delivery from the app – and that’s a good thing.

Read the full story here.

9. ‘This is Footy Country’: Telstra launches new creative platform

Telstra unveiled a fresh creative platform for the football finals, ‘This is Footy Country’, aiming to demonstrate its commitment to regional Australia by acknowledging and celebrating the important presence of country footy in these areas.

Read the full story here.

8. Sphere has eye-watering advertising rates for the world’s largest screen

The MSG Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas sported a number of striking looks in its opening weeks, popping up across social platforms as anything from a basketball to an eyeball. 

The 112-metre display is the largest screen in the world, and in October advertising costs were revealed as US$450,000 for a single day and US$650,000 for an entire week.

Read the full story here.

7. How BookTok revolutionised reading for a younger generation

Adam Freedman, head of brand and communications at Booktopia, outlined the impact TikTok has had upon young readers since first making waves in 2020.

“At Booktopia, we saw a 35 percent increase in revenue from 2020 to 2021 and an 80 percent increase in web traffic,” he wrote.

“This momentum has continued beyond the world of lockdowns with consumers having a higher propensity to buy and read books than they did pre-pandemic, bringing a new generation of readers on the journey with it.”

Read the full story here.

6. Krispy Kreme apologises for offensive racial slur in ad campaign

Krispy Kreme drew global attention in August for an Australian ad gone wrong. Among a series encouraging Aussies to incorporate Krispy Kreme doughnuts into special life moments, one spot included a slur.

Within the ad, a doughnut replaces the ‘o’ in congratulations, before multiplying to briefly spell ‘coongratulations’ and eventually ‘cooongratulations’, presenting a derogatory term.

Krispy Kreme’s ANZ marketing director, Olivia Sutherland, was forced to apologise and the ad was removed.

Read the full story here.

5. How a Super Bowl ad is made, with Squarespace’s VP of creative

Squarespace is no stranger to the spectacle of the Super Bowl. After the American all-in-one platform launched its ninth Super Bowl campaign with ​​‘The Singularity’ starring actor Adam Driver in February, Marketing Mag interviewed Ben Hughes, vice president of creative at Squarespace, one of the brains behind the ad.

“We create hundreds of ideas for each Super Bowl and a big part of the creative process is progressively whittling the field down to get to the very best one. Here, the inspiration came from our own founding story,” Hughes said.

Read the full story here.

4. ALDI acknowledges its place among competitors in ‘Shop ALDI First’

ALDI started 2023 by trying to reposition itself in the minds of consumers with the ‘Shop ALDI First’ campaign. The nationwide campaign from the supermarket chain launched with a schmaltzy TVC via BMF. 

It depicts a dramatic moment of heartbreak between cashier and customer. When the young ALDI cashier spies ‘smoked herring paste’ left uncrossed on the customer’s shopping list, he tells her: “It’s cool”. Rain starts to pour in the store as they share the understanding that she will need to buy her expensive indulgences elsewhere. 

“We love you,” the cashier says as she departs. 

“You’ll always be my first shop,” she responds through tears.

Read the full story here.

3. Cost of Beauty: Dove pushes for Kids Online Safety Act in latest campaign

Dove detailed the dangers of social media with its ‘Cost of Beauty’ film. Social media is a huge propagator of negative messages that filter through to our most vulnerable users: the young. 

The study from Dove shows that 80 percent of mental health specialists attribute the growing mental health crisis to social media, since platforms are primarily self-regulated.

Read the full story here.

2. Maybelline stunt on London transport tricks internet

The beauty brand created a buzz with viral videos featuring London’s public transportation in July, as a Tube carriage and a red double-decker bus were each adorned with giant eyelashes as part of a supposed out-of-home campaign.

It turned out that the eyelashes were not real. Most people didn’t seem to notice that they were animated, part of a growing trend of fake out-of-home content.

Read the full story here.

1. XXXX taps into Queensland pride ahead of State of Origin

XXXX took a massive risk and removed its iconic logo from the left sleeve of Maroons players for State of Origin, replacing it instead with a local postcode of the player’s choosing. 

A huge move for the beer brand, which put so much confidence in its branding and recognisable colours that the logo wasn’t even necessary. 

The bold move attracted more attention from the Marketing Mag audience than any other story this year.

Read the full story here.