So, it's that time of year again, everyone is releasing their "Top" list of 2011. In pulling together my favorite ads for 2011, the elements that made an ad truly outstanding for me are:
These are the elements that make an ad outstanding, which is why there are only three ads, that stuck in my mind as the best of the year that was.
1) Volkswagen: The Force
On Feb. 6, 2011, Volkswagen unleashed one of the great TV ads of the year on the US Super Bowl broadcast. "The Force," from Deutsch/ LA, features a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force on the new VW Passat in the driveway. It leverages humor and the imposing "Imperial March" to create an emotional commercial.
The ad's metrics are phenomenal: 44 million views on YouTube, a reported 6.8 billion impressions worldwide, more than $100 million in earned media. This is a triumph of fun, elegant storytelling, and a deep understanding of their target market - parents. Simply the best of 2011.
2) Google Chrome: Dear Sophie
Damn you, Google. You made me cry.
Google aims for the tear ducts with "Dear Sophie." A simple story of a father using the web to share memories with his daughter as she grows up. He stores notes, videos and pictures of his daughter's milestone moments — her birth, her brother's birth, ballet lessons, a face plant on a snowboard — on Gmail, that he intends to share with her "someday".
Under the line, "The Web is what you make of it." it is a remarkably affecting narrative that invariably leaves viewers choked up. A sensational way of humanising what is essentially a dry technology product.
3) BUPA: The Moment
Last November, health fund Bupa began retiring its MBF, HBC and Mutual Community brands in Australia. In an industry that, doesn't typically run emotional brand ads, Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne created a new brand campaign using the line: "What would you do if you met a healthier version of you". Running nationally since November, the ad depicts people meeting what appear to be younger siblings before it is finally revealed that they are in fact healthier versions of the same people.
This amazing campaign taps into that universal notion that we don't look after ourselves as well as we should. It creates an emotional connection with the brand that makes you stop and think and elevates Bupa above the promotional offers and price cuts that seem to be prevalent in other health fund commercials.