What’s Your Favourite Ad Of 2015? We Asked Some People…
It’s been a fantastic year for advertising. Over the last 12 months we have seen some incredible work from a wide range of brands and agencies.
We’ve seen records tumble, with this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads delivering the most online shares in its history. Android’s super-cute “Friends Furever” also became the most shared ad of all time.
During 2015, we laughed at Geico’s Unskippable dog, were inspired by skeletons and had our hearts melted by a guy who found out his soulmate was a small, cute puppy.
We were also moved when a seven-year-old boy got a real bionic arm from Iron Man and were reduced to a puddle of tears by Metlife Hong Kong. We were even surprised (and very moved) when an ad from a German supermarket took its place as the star atop 2015’s Christmas tree.
But of all the ads you have seen this year, which is your favourite? It’s a tough choice, admittedly, but thankfully when we asked some Unrulies, reporters and friends of Unruly to choose their top ads for 2015, they were more than happy to choose their top picks of the year.
Is your choice on here? Let us know.
Tim Nudd – Creative Editor, AdWeek
Geico – “Unskippable – Family”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvcj9xptNOQ
“The Martin Agency brilliantly hacked the lowly pre-roll ad by stuffing the pitch into the first few seconds before the skip button appeared, then letting the cameras roll as the actors pretended to be frozen. Simple, clever, innovative – and pretty damn funny.”
Ben Thompson – Business Presenter, BBC News, BBC World News & BBC Breakfast
Can’t decide between these two Christmas ads:
Anuncio Lotería de Navidad 2015 – #Justino
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3vQTrCn7I
EDEKA Weihnachtsclip – #heimkommen
“Christmas ads have become an annual endurance test. You’ve either got to get through the unbearably upbeat glitter, tinsel and log fires or hold back the tears while some retailer flogs you groceries. With our family spread all over the world, Edeka’s ad touches a nerve even though, if you think about it, faking your own death isn’t particularly very festive…. but the Spanish Lottery is surprisingly British. We love cheering for the underdog and here it’s the under-valued, taken-for-granted, night watchman.”
Martin Draeger – Managing Director, Germany, Unruly
EDEKA – “#heimkommen”
“Highly emotional storytelling with a bit of controversy thrown in – it’s an exceptional ad.”
Sarah Wood – co-CEO and co-founder, Unruly
The Ad Council – “Love Has No Labels”
“My serious choice would be Ad Council’s “Love Has No Labels”: good to see the ad industry looking beneath appearances and promoting a strong message of equality and diversity in a high-impact, entertaining fashion. My frivolous choice? All the reaction videos to The Force Awakens trailer.”
Richard Kosinski, President, US, Unruly
GEICO – “Unskippable (Family)”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvcj9xptNOQ
“Geico nailed it. They went beyond audience to consider format. I found the ads strangely compelling, and found myself watching them for atleast 20-seconds to see if the dog would flinch!” One of my top ten of all time!”
Dr Karen Nelson-Field – Director and Associate Professor, Centre for Digital Video Intelligence
GEICO – “Unskippable (Family)”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvcj9xptNOQ
“For me the ‘best’ ad has to be one that is Highly Arousing and ticks the ‘Well Branded’ box. For me it’s only when both of these criteria are met that an ad is truly functional and does the best job for the advertiser. I can’t go past GEICO “Unskippable – Family”. Hilarious, tick, GEICO branded upfront, tick, keeps you watching for longer, tick.”
Lara O’Reilly – Advertising Editor, Business Insider
Anuncio Lotería de Navidad 2015 – “#Justino”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3vQTrCn7I
“I felt like I’d been gifted a ticket to a short movie. Stunning animation and a beautiful Christmas story that put British department stores and supermarkets in their place.”
Charlotte McEleny, Asia Editor at The Drum
Sport England – “This Girl Can”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toH4GcPQXpc
“No ad since this year has given me the same ‘hair standing up on the back of the neck’ feeling that ‘This Girl Can’ gave me. I’m the target audience for this ad and it’s testament to how acute the insight was and how perfect and relevant the creative was that it moved me (and 150,000 other women according to the latest stats) to get back into sports this year.”
Lauren Davidson – Digital Reporter, The Daily Telegraph
Sport England – “This Girl Can”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toH4GcPQXpc
“This Girl Can tapped into a bubbling consciousness of greater female autonomy (we can do anything that anyone can do and we’re not going to be shamed about our bodies) and increasing female representation (seeing not only more women on screen but more women who look like us). It wasn’t created to sell a specific product: it was an empowering message built primarily to empower further. And it was kick-ass: Damn right I look hot.”
Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Ad Nut
“For South Korea, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy brilliantly expanded the brand’s ‘Just do it’ mantra to mean not only fighting physical pain but also resisting parental and societal pressures in a country that tends to devalue pursuits that don’t directly support academic and career success.”
Catherine Neilan – Breaking News and Communities Editor, CityAM
C4 – “The Superhumans Return”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=xc8uc-nia9E
“In a medium where being inclusive can often mean being ‘worthy’ or saccharine, Channel 4 stood out with The Superhumans Return. Reprising its spots from the 2012 Paralympic Games with one featuring a number of James Bond-esque villains, this dark humour ad sets the anticipation for Rio perfectly.”
Louise Tullin – EMEA and APAC Marketing and Communications Director, Unruly
Sport England – “This Girl Can”
Dan Best – Director of Planning and Activation, Unruly
Hostelworld – Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank
“Perfectly-timed English humour that’s also an ad.”
PJ Bednarski -Editor, Online Video Daily and VidBlog, MediaPost
Adobe – “The Launch: Do You Know What Your Marketing Is Doing | Adobe Marketing Cloud”
“I like ads that are entertaining to all but whose jokes are pointedly relevant to only a handful. Adobe’s Marketing Cloud “launch” spot shows the ridiculous results when bad marketing data overwhelms “the mission.” It works on two levels, at least.”
Lance Traore – MD Australia and New Zealand, Unruly
EA Sports: Madden NFL 16 | Madden: The Movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eVF9uBbuqc
“To many to think of but I’ll go with EA Madden 16.”
Devra Prywes – VP of Marketing and Insight, Unruly US
Reebok – “Freak Show/Be More Human”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDb-7DY3CjU
“Reebok is targeting a large population (i.e. similar to people with feet), but this ad is a great example of making marketing personal because it offers different people different take-aways. Some feel pride and exhilaration, some feel surprise, some feel empowered, and both men and women can picture themselves in the fun mud run scenario. This ad also triggers “shared passion” for me – my husband and oldest son have participated in Warrior Dash mud runs, so watching this ad also reminds me of them!”
Emma Lundgren – Country Manager, Nordics, Unruly
Shisheido – “High School Girl”
“Powerful and still very much about the products/brand.”
Ian Forrester – Director of Insight, Unruly
Purina – “Puppyhood”
“An amazing look at the way in which having a puppy changes your life. The ad evoked intense warmth, happiness, hilarity, nostalgia (among dog owners) and inspiration – with viewers convinced that they need to have a puppy in their lives. Genius.”
And lastly, but not leastly, ME – David Waterhouse – Global Head of Content and PR – Unruly
Geico – “Unskippable – Family”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvcj9xptNOQ
“There are not many ads that have made me almost choke on my morning cup of tea because I cannot stop laughing, but this ad managed it. Funny, innovative and surprising – a real gem.”
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