Some of the best commercials of 2012

We thought it would be good to close off the year showcasing what were in our opinion some of the best commercials we’ve come across during 2012.

1.   John Lewis – The Journey

A heartwarming ad that features a snowman embarking on an arduous quest to buy a present for a special someone, who is only revealed at the very end of the commercial.

2.   P&G - Best Job

This ad promotes P&G’s Olympics sponsorship, and celebrates the role that mums play in raising Olympians. The commercial has been very well received and has won a commercial Emmy Award.

3.   The Guardian - Three Little Pigs

An ingenious and well produced commercial, where the Three Little Pigs tale is rehashed having the pigs burning the wolf alive. The Guardian is there to cover the rest of the story is at unfolds. The ad won multiple Cannes Lion awards.

4.   Chrysler - Halftime in America

Starring Clint Eastwood, this inspirational commercial is about rallying Americans to work together to rebound from a tough ‘first half’. Despite being one of the adverts that stood out most in this year’s Super Bowl, it has drawn political criticism as it was seen to be an endorsement of the Obama administrations’ bailout of Chrysler and General Motors in 2009.

5.   Nike – Find Your Greatness (Jogger)

Although Nike wasn't an Olympic sponsor, it successfully ambushed the Olympic games this year with this brilliant yet simple commercial. The commercial was filmed in a single, unedited take and features an unknown, overweight teenager as he shuffles uncomfortably down a lonely road. Even though obviously struggling, he never gives up.

6.   British Airways - London 2012

In a tongue in cheek ad where a 65-metre wide Boeing 777 is seen motoring around London, we see BA telling it’s potential customers to stay at home and support team GB instead of flying.

7.   VWPolo – Dad

An emotional commercial, which opens with a couple bringing a newborn baby girl home and follows the development of the father’s relationship with his growing daughter. The commercial ends with the father giving his daughter a VW Polo when she leaves home heading off for university.

8.   NSPCC - Sh*t Kids Say

A heart-breaking campaign launched by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), that urges the public to trust their instincts and report anything that seems suspicious.

9.   Adidas – Take the Stage

A simple yet striking commercial focusing on top British athletes and the challenges of competing at the highest level on a global stage.

10. Audi – Vampire Party

Piggybacking on the latest trends relating to vampires, here we have a large group of young vampires being accidentally burnt by the LED headlights of an Audi S7.

What do you think of these commercials? Are there any others that you would add to the list?

New Anti Smoking Campaign launched today in the UK

Following Australia's world-first laws on cigarette and tobacco plain packaging, other countries could start becoming more aggressive in targeting tobacco company products with new legislation and publicity campaigns.

The UK could be the first to move as the department of health is set to invest £2.7 million in an integrated marketing campaign that will focus mainly on online and outdoor advertising. The ads being created are an attempt to “shock” smokers into quitting, the Dare-created spot explains that smoking 15 cigarettes could cause a mutation that leads to cancerous tumours.

This shock campaign is aimed at the generation of smokers that have not been exposed to hard-hitting campaigns but have grown up in an environment less accepting of smoking as a result of the 2007 smoking ban in public places and last year’s display ban in supermarkets. Although not as aggressive as the Australian approach (where all cigarette companies have been forced to replace their traditional packaging for uniform packaging with a generic drab olive green covering, gruesome pictures of diseased body parts and depictions of children and babies made ill by their parents' smoking), the campaign should be a very bold one both in terms of the message and the visuals used. (view video about Australian action below - WARNING: The Advert contains strong images)

In fact the campaign has been handed an “ex-kids” rating, which means it cannot be shown during children’s programming but could still be seen by children watching television with their parents and hence a number of complaints are expected to be received by the  Advertising Standards Authority from adults claiming the spot is upsetting to children.

The campaign launches today (28 December) and will run until mid-February. View the advert in the video below. (WARNING: The Advert contains strong images)

Brands adopting games as a mean of increasing recall

Specsavers' "angry chef" online game will be accompanied by an MSN homepage takeover on 12 March. It will subsequently be available to play via Specsavers' Facebook page.
The game, created by the brand's in-house advertising department Specsavers Creative, features a man who mistakes a kitchen for a sauna and is chased through a hotel by an angry chef.

Graham Daldry, creative director at Specsavers Creative, said: "Gamification gives our memorable TV commercials life beyond the TV screen while providing an entertaining and highly effective way for consumers to engage with our popular advertising."
The MSN takeover will see the homepage covered in steam as a man in a towel walks across the screen, with the steam then clearing to reveal the "naked hero" with only a "call to action" button covering his modesty.
Viewers can click on the button to play the "sauna" TV ad and launch the "angry chef" game.
During the game players have to jump over obstacles, pick up items and avoid food being thrown at them by the angry chef as they try to reach the safety of the sauna.

Specsavers will seek to encourage competition by allowing Facebook users to share their score with friends.
Follow Matthew Chapman at @mattchapmanUK

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk

More High Street Stores Go Under

2011 has seen a number of high street brands go under and the end of 2011 has not spared surprises...Deloitte, administrators at Barratts Priceless said they had failed to find a buyer for the shoe chain's concessions business.

In a statement, Deloitte said that regretfully they have to make approximately 1,610 full and part-time employees redundant, given that they didn't manage to find an appropriate buyer.

Barratts, which is the second time that has called in the administrators in the past two years, ran almost 400 concessions in large stores, mostly Dorothy Perkins. It is hoped a buyer will still be found for the shoe firm's 191 shops.

The blow came as bosses at retro-gifts chain Past Times said it was going bust.

Barratts was not the only store which went into administration, toy store Hawkin's Bazaar confirmed it had also appointed administrators. The Sun, has also reported that experts are also fearing that lingerie chain La Senza, which has 2,600 staff, will go bust within days.

Such events risk putting more pressure on the economy as almost 4,000 full-time and temp jobs could be lost with all these closures.

The high street has been badly affected this year by Internet shopping and a squeeze on spending, as more and more people become price consious and start looking out for bargains. Big names including TJ Hughes, Jane Norman, Alexon, Habitat and Focus DIY have all collapsed.

Is the retail world as we know it changing to a more price conscious model?