Bionic Arms And Durex Charms: 5 Ads You Should Watch Right Now

A seven-year-old is given a bionic arm by Iron Man and Durex explains how turning off can be a real turn on. Yep, it’s just another week in Adland.

But which are the ads to look out for? Well, after a week watching the best (and worst) video advertisements on the net, we’ve picked the five essential ones to watch so you can spend the rest of your time getting lost in the land of cats, goats and laughing babies.

So without further ado, here is our weekly round-up of the five ads you should watch right now.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

5. TAG Heuer – Jeremy Lin challenged by Maria Sharapove, Christiano Ronaldo and Jean-Claude Biver

First on our list, LA Lakers basketball star Jeremy Lin has to prove himself worthy of becoming an ambassador for TAG Heuer.  With an utterly charming smile, Lin shows he doesn’t crack under pressure and completes challenges given to him from fellow sportspeople, Maria Sharapova and Christiano Ronaldo, as well as a CEO for the luxury sports watch brand, Jean-Claude Biver.

4. United Healthcare: Our Song Commercial

We’ve all been there, swept away by a false sense of confidence and stupidly attempting to master that infamous Dirty Dancing jump (failing miserably, of course).  Prepare to laugh, cringe and have a brief flashback of your own misfortune watching this United Healthcare ad.

3. Durex: #Connect

A lot of us can put up our hands and say we’re guilty of bringing technology into the bedroom (and not for the right reasons!).  It’s a common relationship problem that people are focusing on their Facebook or Twitter feed at night rather than the partner beside them.  Durex recognised this and invited couples to discover how to use their smartphones to improve their sex lives… We won’t spoil it for you!

2. The Canadian Safe School Network: Kids Read Mean Tweets

There’s nothing funny about cyber bullying and the Canadian Safe School Network cleverly conveys this through its own take on Jimmy Kimmel’s famous skit by replacing celebrities with kids.

1. The Collective Project: Robert Downey Junior Delivers a Real Bionic Arm

If we didn’t already believe that Robert Downey Junior was the man, this video could well convince us.  As part of Microsoft’s Collective Project, the Iron Man star surprises 7-year-old super hero fan Alex, who was born with a partially formed right arm, with a customised bionic arm. We love how super casual Alex is when he meets Robert, who himself freaks out when he realises the little boy knows exactly who he is.  Kudos on the subtle branding for One Note, which doesn’t take away from the emotional scenes.

Tapping into our emotions is key to advertisers, check out our recent blog post on why nostalgia is particularly important.