Unruly / Blog / Doggy Treats And Helpful Sheep: Five Ads You Should Watch Right Now

Doggy Treats And Helpful Sheep: Five Ads You Should Watch Right Now

Sheep are turned into road signs, an 8-year-old girl coaches a US college football team and cops in the UK compare sexual consent to making tea. It could only be Adland.

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 enjoy your weekend.

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. Johnnie Walker Blue: The Gentleman’s Wager (30-second teaser)

Next week is a huge week in Adland. The John Lewis Xmas ad is due to hit next Friday (can’t wait) and Johnnie Walker Blue is releasing the follow-up to its mega hit, “The Gentleman’s Wager”, which starred a tap dancing Jude Law.

The new ad is the same short film format as the first, but this time the wager between Law and co-star Giancarlo Giannini is over a priceless car. And judging by the teaser campaign, it promises to be as beautifully crafted as the first instalment. Whether it will outdo the previous ad, which managed 45 million online views since it was launched last July, we’ll have to wait and see.

 

4. THINK!: Country Roads: Helpful Hazards

Did you know that on average three people a day die on country roads in the UK? It sounds shocking, but it’s true, with many of the accidents caused by some unexpected hazards, such as marauding sheep.

To get across the message that you need to slow down before a blind corner, THINK!, the UK Government’s long-running safe-driving campaign, has recruited some rather unique brand ambassadors.

It partnered with a British farmer to spray paint safety messages on sheep, tractors, even cows, so people driving through the country would be warned of the dangers. Baa-rilliant idea or what? Sorry!

 

3. Battersea Dogs And Cats Home: Who Needs Who?

Pets rescue their owners in this touching ad for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Tissues at the ready.

 

2. Thames Valley Police: Tea and Consent

A video explaining sexual consent by comparing it to making tea, may seem like, a) the most British thing of all time, and b) the worst idea of all time. However, this new PSA from Thames Valley Police is surprisingly simple and effective.

 

1. Barbie:  Imagine The Possibilities

A lecture theatre fills with attentive university students, notepads and pens at the ready. Suddenly, an adorable little girl strides confidently into the room and announces that she will be their professor for the day. Understandably, the students do a double-take.

No, we are not describing a weird dream you once had after eating too much cheese. It’s Mattel’s new ad for its flagship product Barbie. Shot in documentary style, the ad begins with the question ‘What happens when girls are free to imagine they can be anything?’.

The professor formula is repeated again, with precocious kids taking over adult jobs. One takes a loud business call in an airport departure lounge. Another becomes head coach of an American football team. One particularly cheery girl enjoys a day as a veterinarian.

Its combination of social conscience and strong creative has been a sharing hit, with nearly 400,000 shares since its release. It’s looking good for Barbie.