Most Read of 2025: the USA’s Biggest Stories
2025 has been quite the year for many -- and that's no different at LBB HQ. With the rise of AI, enormous business moves, new companies emerging at a rapid rate, and a steady flow of excellent creative, we've been busy, to say the least.
Thankfully, our efforts haven't gone to waste, as our wonderful readership has read, enjoyed, and shared like never before our stories covering these various sectors of the US ad industry. In fact, compared to 2024, LBB's USA content drove over 60% more traffic in 2025 -- and with the Super Bowl just round the corner, we're excited to keep the stories coming!
So, as it's the end of the year, we've recapped the stories from 2025 that were the most popular, giving everyone another opportunity to see what piqued adland's interest over the last 12 months.
From ChatGPT's debut brand campaign to adidas' Oasis extravaganza, Omnicom's new line-up announcement to spots starring Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Walken, you can check out all of the most-read stories from the States below.
Isle of Any Turns Everyday Prompts into Tiny Movies for ChatGPT’s Debut Brand Campaign
For its first-ever brand campaign, OpenAI’s ChatGPT shied away from slick futurism in favour of tiny movies that felt simple and human. LBB's Addison Capper spoke with Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans, founders of the creative agency behind the work, Isle of Any. The duo discussed their 'tactile but grounded' approach, saying, "We wanted these small moments to feel elevated, and give scale to how ChatGPT helps co-create these small moments in our lives.”
Technicolor, Parent Company of The Mill, MPC, and Mikros, Facing Potential Closure
On a more sombre note, LBB's Addison Capper and Alex Reeves reported in February on the imminent closure of Technicolor, the parent company of legendary post houses The Mill and MPC. The news, which surfaced after an internal email citing "severe financial difficulties" was shared online, was the first of several high-profile closures throughout the year that many will remember 2025 for.
Do Big Things: BBDO Launches New Global Positioning
Also in February, LBB's Addison Capper broke the news that BBDO would be launching a new global positioning with an exclusive interview with the agency network's global CEO Nancy Reyes and global CCO Chris Beresford-Hill. The leaders shared their plans for the organisation's new course, and asserted a philosophy that 'big doesn't mean bad'.
"Who doesn’t want big?" said Nancy. "Big ideas, big ambition, big growth, big talent. We want to flip the notion of 'big' around. Challenging the insecurity in the marketplace around that word feels super exciting to us.”
Every 2025 Super Bowl Ad
After the Big Game, we always have a comprehensive round-up of all the different ads. We stuck to tradition this year, and you can still check out all of the Super Bowl spots from 2025 in this handy collection. There might be some you forgot about, or perhaps missed the first time while you were chowing down on your wings!
Blair Underwood Embraces the Joys of Driving a Lexus
Premiering with a cinematic spot titled ‘Reaching a Higher Standard’, this Lexus campaign featured Emmy and Grammy-winning actor, director, and advocate Blair Underwood, who both starred in and narrated the hero film. Created by Walton Isaacson and directed by JOJX's Per-Hampus, the campaign signalled a new creative evolution for the brand, basing its approach to luxury automotive in emotional connection, cultural relevance and humanity.
Inside the adidas Originals x Oasis Campaign That Lives Forever
In the build-up to the iconic British band's reunion tour, Oasis fever took over not just the UK, but the world. Synonymous with the brand with three stripes, Oasis were the subject of adidas' 'Original Forever' campaign over the summer, created by New York-based indie Johannes Leonardo. Amidst this huge cultural moment, LBB went behind the scenes of the creative, speaking with adidas and the agency.
Sweet Baby Ray’s Gives Sauce Fans the Ultimate '30 Rack'
One box. 30 bottles. Zero chill. Launched in time for National BBQ Day, Sweet Baby Ray’s and creative agency GYK released a tasty and totally unhinged '30 Rack' of sauce, featuring every flavour in their portfolio. GYK auctioned off the limited edition box to help set grill masters up for success this summer, and it clearly got people very excited!
State Farm Unites Batman vs. Bateman in Star-Studded Spot
Batman vs. Bateman -- it's such a simple idea, but one executed with a commendable degree of cinematic polish. And it's not just the great production that caused readers to watch and share this ad, but also a clever cast of celebrities and online personalities, too. Created by Highdive and directed by hungryman's Bryan Buckley -- two names very much associated with Super Bowl success -- the film stars Jason Bateman, SZA, Kai Cenat, Jordan the Stallion and, of course, Jake from State Farm.
Despite being launched after the Super Bowl, the campaign had all the ingredients of a Big Game classic -- and it certainly caught people's attention.
Jeff Goldblum Brings Magic of Oz Home with Xfinity
There's no denying that 'Wicked' and 'Wicked: For Good' have made a significant cultural impact in recent years, and this campaign from Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Xfinity was part of that wave. Packed full of Easter eggs for diehard fans, the film shows Jeff Goldblum transform into his Wizard of Oz role and bring some magic into the homes of Xfinity customers.
Christopher Walken Voices Legendary Stories for Miller Lite’s 50th Anniversary
Created by Leo Chicago, this campaign for Miller Lite’s 50th Anniversary saw legendary football coach John Madden, singer Luke Combs and more share the stage with the beer brand for a montage of maverick behaviour from the past half century. To top it all off -- and the reason I personally took an interest in the campaign -- the hero film is voiced by none other than Christopher Walken. Judging by the numbers, I wasn't the only one, either.
Omnicom Debuts Post-Acquisition Leadership and Agency Lineup
Nearing the end of 2025, LBB's editor-in-chief, Laura Swinton, reported on a story that had dominated conversation and sparked debate across adland throughout the year. With the IPG merger finalised, Omnicom confirmed that BBDO, McCann and TBWA would be surviving as flagship agencies, and laid out its plans for various leadership teams. It's arguably the industry's defining story of the year, so it's unsurprising that LBB's readers were drawn to this one.
KFC Is Making a Kentucky Fried Comeback
2025 brought with it some startling discoveries for KFC. The research was in -- and it didn't look good. While 90% of surveyed non-customers had positive feelings towards the fast food chain, they were choosing competitors because they saw KFC’s food as "outdated" and "bland”. If we're honest, these are two of the worst words to describe a restaurant's food.
However depressing this was to hear, the feedback acted as a catalyst for a new campaign from the chicken chain and creative agency Highdive. Teaming up with ‘The Bear’ star Matty Matheson and Reset directors Dorian & Daniel, they launched an explosive film and experiential work that angrily addressed the brand’s drop in market share with a grumpy Colonel Sanders.
I spoke with Highdive CCO Chad Broude and KFC US president Catherine Tan-Gillespie to hear more about the new work and fresh attitude.
Vibrant New York Times Campaign Reframes Time to Stop Viewers in Their Tracks
And finally, rounding out our list of most-read US stories is another creative deep dive with agency Isle of Any from LBB's Addison Capper -- this time, on its vibrant work for the New York Times. Going behind the scenes, Addison also spoke with Chanelle Kalfas, The Times’ head of enterprise brand marketing, who gave insights from the brand's perspective.
It's a fantastic read and showcases one of the year's best campaigns with some juicy new details. To see what other creative campaigns caught our editorial team's attention in 2025, you can check out our comprehensive US Work of the Year reel here.
