Best Ads of 2012?

Its that time of year when we all start putting together lists and predictions, and this year, I’ve been asked a few times about some of my top ads of 2012. The truth is, a lot of them have been shared here so here is a lightly curated list of my favourite ads of the year.

Before I start, its worth noting that AdWeek (which likely sees a lot more ads than I do) has a fantastic list and it is hard to argue with the Guardian’s “Three Little Pigs” ad by BBH London as one of the top ones of the year, even if its view count (1.3mm) suggests it wasn’t the most “popular”

Also worth seeing is this piece from the Guardian back in 1986 (by DDB!). While the content dates, the message and the ethos gets more and more relevant. A great piece of communication.

So, in no particular order, a magnificent seven that I hope moved sales as much as they moved me.

1. I’m a sucker for Nike ads – mostly because of their huge production budgets, great music and massive stars. This was a really charming change of pace and even though I wasn’t the target, I picked up my runners after watching this, as did 2.5mm other YouTube viewers.

2. There is so much noise in the advertising space around smart phones and tablets that it is so refreshing to see one that is emotional (vs feature-driven) and that truly differentiates the product in a memorable, creative way. 10mm views to date.

3. Not sure if this is an ad or not but I loved what GRIP did to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Whatever “it” is, it is definitely “inside baseball”

4. This was sent around the DDB network from our Chief Creative Officer, Amir Kassei, and is a wonderful piece of storytelling from McDonald’s New Zealand, by DDB for the Olympics. I was so into the olympics and saw tweets from friends down under that really proved this truth:

5. This is the catchiest tune from any ad this year and some wonderful branded content 

6. As a brit and footy fan, this was a very interesting and cerebral direction for PUMA to go:

7. Its strange that even in this short list, so many have come from Britain. John Lewis has a tradition of writing briefs that, as one wag describes it, calls for making middle aged house wives cry for its christmas advertising. This is no exception and a beautiful piece of film. From my colleagues at adam&eveDDB