The days are getting shorter, the nights getting colder, and the advertising world is becoming a hoarder of all the holiday spirits! But with 63% of consumers wanting brands to treat them like friends, it’s high time to realise bells and whistles won’t get you virality.
Interactions that don’t feel like marketing will.
And what can be better than video to propel your humanised marketing league? A study done by Neilsen have proven 36% of online consumers trust video ads.
That being said, there are plenty of amazing video campaigns out there to get you working. But our list of these 10 gushy brand ads will help you hit the right cord with your customers. So go ahead, settle in your cozy spot, grab a bowl of popcorn and some tissues!
#1. ALS Liga
After taking the social media world by storm with their ‘Ice Bucket’ challenge, an ALS charity is at it again using the viral mannequin challenge to raise awareness of the deadly nerve muscle disease.
The video shows researchers in a medical lab working in a ‘frozen’ state. But as most of them begin moving again, the last mannequin remains motionless to demonstrate that everyday is a mannequin challenge for ALS patients and highlighting the need for more research funds.
#2. MetLife Hong Kong
“My Dad’s Story” is a tear-jerking ad showing a father reading an essay that his daughter wrote about him. It starts on a happy note, declaring him the “best daddy in the world” till she calls him a liar! That’s when we come to know about his dual life where he does menial jobs and stays hungry to save money for her education.
The commercial then ends with a deep message for all parents – “A child’s future is worth every sacrifice”.
Damn! Who’s cutting all these onions in here 😥
#3. Zonajobs
People who are unhappy in their jobs are most inclined to gallows humor – and that’s what Zonajobs grasped in this humorous commercial.
The ad shows a grandmother being killed repeatedly, in all sorts of nasty ways, and each time rising from the grave. By the end, we understand what’s happening – and this excuse will only stop when you get a better job.
#4. National Maritime Rescue Organization
Have you ever heard the folk tales about beautiful mermaids luring unsuspecting sailors to their death?
This animated ad from France’s National Maritime Rescue Organization offers an imaginative spin on the classic legend, inviting us into the mind of a lovesick mermaid. When she spots a drowning sailor, her mind runs wild. As the mermaid imagines the perfect life she’ll share with the sailor, she leaves out one crucial detail: He can’t breathe underwater.
But luckily for the sailor, he’s wearing a life jacket.
#5. Heathrow Airport
If you’re in need of some warm feelings this holiday season, look no further than this pair of traveling teddy bears.
Heathrow Airport’s ad follows a couple of elderly teddies as they traverse the terminals of the massive British airport, from landing to baggage claim.
When the bears finally meet their family, they magically transform into real human grandparents. The whimsical yet fuzzy ad shows that the biggest gift you can give someone is to be there.
#6. Poo Pourri
This ad gives you a lifetime ‘poo-poo’ lesson that was missing from your childhood – How to poop at a party!
The brilliantly scripted and acted video outlines three different answers to nature’s call at a party — using aerosol after you go, avoiding the toilet and going outside in the bushes, and finally using Poo-Pourri that turns your ‘human killing’ poo smell into a lavender farm!
#7. Ikea
Have you ever wondered how people in 18th century would have used Instagram?
Slow down your imagination horses! Ikea has already done the task for you. In this stunning bit of Masterpiece Theater, the brand pokes fun at the Instagram foodporn obsession.
“Let’s Relax” starts with an historian era family starving to get a portrait made of their dinner table and feasting only when it got a nod from the local community – to a modern day dad Instagramming dinner over his waiting family.
“It’s a meal. Not a competition” is how the ad concludes.
#8. Always
Like Dove, Always has been approaching their marketing by combining empowering messages with realistic — as opposed to idealistic — portrayals of their target audience.
In their “Like a Girl” campaign, the company uses the famous insult to grab your attention — and then change the conversation about what it means to run, throw, and fight “like a girl”.
#9. Motor Neurone Disease Association
WARNING: This ad is not for the weak heart. It demands you to have a backbone of steel (literally)!
The commercial named “Sarah’s Story” is based on Sarah Ezekiel who was diagnosed with the disease. It starts with a woman entering an empty room with just a chair and boom! Everything turns catatonic.
Just when you thought that she is possessed by a demon, the origin demon of MND reveals itself, telling us how an MND patient feels every day.
#10. Ashbabies
This cute yet thought provoking ad starts with a boy practicing to hold his breath. The reason – it is the only means within his reach to avoid secondhand smoke his mother exposes him to.
The ad ends with this powerful message : Passive smoking can make a mother her child’s worst enemy
There’s no Business like Show Business
With the dawn of video marketing, brands are slowly turning into Hollywood studios. While you don’t need a whole film crew to make most of the videos, having relevant, customer-focused, and entertaining content can do trick.
Want to step into 2017 with a rocking video marketing strategy? 42Works is happy to help you!
