TOP ADS IN THE UK AND USA

Last week we brought you Campaign’s Top 10 Turkeys of the Year, along with their list of Top 10 Virals of the Year. A couple of days ago the UK trade magazine released their best TVCs of the year and this Hovis Bread ad topped the list. Said Campaign: “It was a tough act to follow, but with a £15 million relaunch budget and Ringan Ledwidge behind the lens, this Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy ad was a worthy successor to “boy on a bike”. The 122-second epic, celebrating the bread brand’s 122-year heritage, was backed by a prolific PR campaign that instantly got the nation behind this patriotic romp through the past century of British history.”

If you are inclined here is the making of “Go on Lad” footage.

In second place was this Nike “Take it to the next level” spot. Said Campaign: “No ad has quite managed to capture every man’s childhood dream – to become a Premier League footballer – with such realism. The ad, produced by 72andSunny and directed by Guy Ritchie, is a rip-roaring ride through the blood, sweat, tears – and vomit – of a footballer, placing the viewer in his boots. As well as gripping TV audiences, it achieved a phenomenal online following, with nearly three million hits on YouTube.”

Meanwhile over in America, AdFreak has list it’s top ad of the year. The brilliant “Yes We Can” video for Barack Obama (with over 14 million hits on YouTube alone) won out. Said AdFreak: “Wow, finally a politician is making ads that are as good as Nike’s,” Naomi Klein said in The New Yorker. This music-video spot hit it out of the park and set the tone for Barack Obama’s historic presidential victory. Nothing else really came close.”

Now, heading in the other direction is another ad we first saw on AdFreak. It’s a Danish ad for an e-retailer called Fleggaard. It’s causing quite a fuss as it is seen to be a tad sexist by some. Actually, by everyone.

We think just as big a crime is the fact that we don’t know what the commercial has to do with selling washing machines for DKR4999. Maybe it loses something in the translation?

Make up your own mind, but be warned, the spot has no big idea… but it does feature about 100 girls topless skydiving.