There really was something for everyone in the top ads for June 2015. If you shed a tear, laugh out loud, or share any of these, chances are you’re opening your wallet and in that, there’s a lesson for every B2B professional to learn.
RSA: “Don’t look back”
Road safety has never seemed so simple thanks to a beautifully-shot yet shocking video for Ireland’s Road Safety Authority. It’s based around the concept of looking back, both in the literal and figurative sense. In the ad, we see an old woman looking back on her life, and every time the camera spins, the viewers are taken further back in time. Eventually it becomes clear the woman has a dark secret, and all because she looked back while behind the wheel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKUNJMrFeUs
Playstation Vue
Playstation commercials have always been about fun and creativity, and while this latest commercial isn’t for a video game, it’s still as fun as ever. A man in a suit asks a series of hypothetical questions: if you could have robot legs that supercharge your running, wouldn’t you take them? If you could put up a forcefield that repels inattentive phone-checkers, wouldn’t you take it? Finally, he arrives at the end point: if you could have a better TV experience all within a PlayStation console, wouldn’t you try it? Sure, all those other hypotheticals are in the distant future, but Vue is coming soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN00B7tJCe4
HSBC – “Lift”
Banking can be a seemingly cold, impersonal industry, no matter how many times TD Bank tries to tell you it can be comfortable. So it’s refreshing to see this 90-second ad for HSBC — an ad that completely humanizes the “businessman.” The clip focuses on one man as he steps into an elevator. At first he presses the button for the sixth floor, but seamless editing and a variety of costumes and makeup show the passage of time as his desired floor gets higher and higher up. There’s no dialogue to explain what’s going on, but it’s clear that the man is feeling joy, sadness, relief and a million other emotions over these various elevator rides. It reminds everyone that life is not all about working and saving money.
HSBC – Lift from Grey London on Vimeo.
Airbnb – “Love is Welcome Here”
June is Pride Month, and Airbnb has put together a moving tribute to gay couples with its three-and-a-half minute spot. Several same-sex couples talk about how they met and what their future plans are, but are uneasy when they talk about travelling. It’s an added stress to figure out which countries and cities are gay-friendly and which aren’t. And ultimately, these couples hope to be something more than just “tolerated.” At the end, Airbnb agrees—all should be welcome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL2P2u45SCA
Terminix – “Mosquitonado”
With anticipation ramping up for the third Sharknado movie, pest-control Terminix is using the hype to raise awareness for National Mosqutio Control Awareness Week. The ad uses the same ridiculous tropes as the Sharknado franchise, from a little girl attempting to kill mosquitoes with a chainsaw to a grandmother taking the bugs out with flamethrowers — it even roped in Tara Reid. But at the end of the day, it’s not promoting something to tweet about en masse. Malaria is no small issue — apparently 300 million to 500 million cases are reported annually.
