In a year that had the Winter Olympics and the World Cup, 2014 was a very competitive year for advertisers wanting to stand out with their messages. Below are the five best of a year that saw many strong ads, and a trend toward longer social-media versions of campaigns.
KLM “Lost and Found”
While the ad was controversial because the airline does not actually use a rescue beagle to return lost smartphones and other items to passengers who have left items on their airplanes, the ad is extremely effective in getting across that the airline cares enough about its customers to work very hard to return items left behind to lost customers. In an industry that takes a lot of criticism for less than stellar customer service this approach is refreshing. And of course, the scene with the dog returning the phone to a “passenger” is touching, even if not real. Overall, a great ad that went viral – with more than 16 million hits of Youtube alone. Highly effective, though a disclaimer at the end indicating that rescue dogs are not used for this purpose might have been advisable.
Budweiser “Puppy Love”
The consensus choice for best Super Bowl ad of 2014, this ad built on the success of the 2013 “Brotherhood” ad, which was about the bond between a trainer and a Clydesdale horse. The ad features a determined Labrador puppy who lives with a dog breeder at a neighboring farm and is shown continually escaping in order to develop a close friendship with the Clydesdale as the sentimental song “Let Her Go” by Passenger plays in the background. When the puppy is adopted, the Clydesdales band together to stop the car taking the pup away and the ad ends showing the pup and horse playing happily together. This ad was exceptional in terms of scoring high on likeability measures such as USA Today’s Admeter as well as Ace Metrix’s index, which rated it as having strikingly high emotional appeal as well as being effective in building the brand. The ad contains a good use of the traditional Clydesdale symbol of the brand and is a winner all the way around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_3lITiK_QCheerios “Gracie”
This ad first appeared on the 2014 Super Bowl and is a continuation of Cheerios’ ads campaign featuring a multi-racial family, which started in the spring of 2013. In the ad, Gracie’s father, who is African America, is sitting at the breakfast table and uses Cheerios to illustrate to Gracie that the family will be adding a baby brother. In adorable fashion, Gracie responds by adding another Cheerio to the set, saying somewhat forcefully, “and a puppy,” to which Dad replied, “Deal” with Mom, who is Caucasian looking on. The ad is admirable not only for its multi-racial images and clever creative, but also how it effectively integrates the product itself into the ad and gets across the obvious implication that the family eats Cheerios together for dinner. The use of the simple tagline “Love” at the end of the ad is also a very nice touch, and a fitting end to a very memorable ad.
Procter & Gamble “Thank You Mom: Pick Them Back Up”
A continuation of the hugely successful “Thank You, Mom” campaign that was so successful in the London Olympics of 2012 began airing in the Sochi Winter Olympics. The campaign focuses on the dedication of mothers to their children and the role of Moms in successful outcomes. This ad features great creative, showing mothers helping their children when they fall from infancy through adolescence and then watching them succeed in Olympic level competition at the end of the ad. Something particularly successful about this campaign is its truly global appeal. The campaign and its individual ads also appeal to both male and female audiences. Its placement in the Olympic games is also highly effective. In an era where it seems more difficult to make ad campaigns last for months, let alone years, this one has been a smashing success.
Nike “Winner Stays”
With the 2014 World Cup being a highly anticipated event, many advertisers went all out in social media, with several having high degrees of success. However, the runaway winner was Nike who developed effective television spots shown around the world. With more than 100 million hits on Youtube alone, the ad features several soccer superstars including Cristiano Rinaldo, Neymar, and Wayne Rooney. The ad features a group of youngsters playing a pick up game but pretending to be in the World Cup. At key moments, World Cup players are summoned to help them be successful. The message “Risk Everything” is effectively integrated as is the message that only the winner “stays on” on the field (and by association in the World Cup). Nike shoes are prominently and effectively featured along with some clever twists. The star power of the top players shows through in an extremely effective ad.
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