Food brands are typically appealing to the same consumer needs as their competitors: hunger and thirst. So most food brands focus their ads on product quality (“Ours is better than theirs”) or else they do something out-of-the-box to get the audience’s attention (brand awareness). But even with those two main destinations, there are countless paths to get there.
Coke seems to really care most about making people smile with online video, and the company has several videos that have gone viral just by sharing happiness:
Natural Light also likes to make people smile. Instead of trying to make the case that their beer is more ‘premium’, they’ve decided to try to be more memorable instead. And sending a beer into space seems to have done the trick:
I mentioned Nando’s in a previous article rounding up some recent international branded video success. Nando’s is a restaurant chain in multiple countries, and has opted to take their social video campaign in a very unique direction:
Martini accomplishes multiple things with this ad that shows two possible lives for one man. The video is entertaining, while also driving home the subtle message that the man whose life had Martini in it was much better:
Hollywood is loving the online video boom. Taking a major product or service and boiling it down into a short, concise video message is what they do best–they call them movie trailers. And the things go viral every week. Film fans and online video viewers have a natural–and large–overlap, and it drives social video action for Hollywood on a consistent basis.
This holiday season has already seen several great trailers for anticipated upcoming films. None bigger than the Batman himself, in the just-released first trailer for The Dark Knight Rises:
Borat prankster Sasha Baron Cohen is at it again with his new film, Dictator, which should tick off as many people as his other movies have:
Jack and the Beanstalk gets a pretty cool update with Bryan Singer’s Jack The Giant Killer:
And it looks like Stallone has rounded up even more 1980′s action stars for his Expendables sequel:
Another action sequel hoping viewers will be drawn to new co-stars is G.I. Joe:
Every year we see a ton of year-end top ten list articles from publications around the web…just in time for us to go on holiday and not fully indulge in them. It’s a lot to keep up with, so we’ve consolidated the best lists into the ultimate round-up of round-ups. Read up and then you can officially move on to 2012 as an expert on all of last year’s viral video highlights.
YouTube
YouTube was kind enough to compile a list of the ten best video ads of the year, based on view counts. The list leaves room for smartwater’s Jennifer Aniston commercial, Apple’s first Siri video, and of course DC Shoes for this incredibly popular ad featuring some insane stunt driving:
AdWeek
AdWeek and the Hollywood Reporter got together to rank the top 10 commercials of the year. They gave roster spots to Google’s “Dear Sophie” ad, Chrysler’s acclaimed “Born of Fire” commercial, and this fantastic ad from Chipotle:
Mashable brought in Feed Company’s Josh Warner to talk about something more subjective–the “most innovative” video ads of the year. Warner includes the K-Swiss Kenny Powers campaign, YouTube’s Life In A Day, and the Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV Commercial. Here’s the entry for Go Pro that made the list:
Venture Beat
Venture Beat also combines video ads and non-ads into one top ten list–theirs is the “most hilarious and surprising” videos of 2011, like the cat mother hugging her baby, Nyan Cat, and this gem about bike lanes in New York City:
Billboard
Billboard magazine charts the music industries’ 10 best viral videos of the year in the world of music–including amateurs and pros. Rebecca Black made the list, as did Lady Gaga (obviously) and the Saturday Night Live digital short crew. Here’s KarminMusic’s explosively viral cover of “Look At Me Now,” which grabbed over 51 million views:
Time
Time Magazine has a Top 10 Viral Videos of 2011 feature. They like My Drunk Kitchen, Anderson Cooper’s laughing fit on the air, and some other great gems of the past year. And they actually present their list in video form. Here’s Jorge & Alexa Narvaez, who made Time’s list with their adorable cover of “Home”:
Of all the brands that are creating social video campaigns, entertainment brands might have a slight advantage. After all, creating entertaining content is already their core business, so it’s not as much of a pivot for them to add video marketing to their PR arsenal.
But it’s encouraging to see so much variety in the social video campaigns from entertainment brands, and not all of them are playing it safe or sticking with what they know.
ESPN and Monday Night Football, for instance, got together for this excellent behind-the-scenes documentary video that sheds light on how the decades-old program is pulled off:
Online video gives some brands that aren’t typically known for a comedy a chance to try their hand at humor. World of Warcraft pulls it off brilliantly:
Jimmy Kimmel is definitely known for comedy, so in a way he’s been sticking with what he knows with his online videos. However, Kimmel’s path to viral dominance has involved making his viewers a part of the video-creating fun:
Of course, some brands just stick with what they do best. Some don’t even bother creating new content for their online video campaign. Take TLC, for instance, which has a much-buzzed-about show called Virgin Diaries, chronicling the lives of self-proclaimed virgins. They found the most outrageous, over-the-top, ridiculous moment from the premiere, and loaded it up on YouTube so they could watch it go viral and build anticipation for the show:
Growing up, I was a creative kid with an extremely vivid imagination. I went through phases where I wanted to be an architect, then a fashion designer, then an illustrator. I would draw elaborate houses with 5 garages and three indoor pools. I’d sketch out fashion models wearing crazy outfits involving dresses made out of peacock feathers , candy, and balloons. I had a few sketchbooks of comics that I had created- illustrated characters with plot lines that reflected the everyday suburban life that surrounded me. Then I discovered advertising.
My mom had a collection of Metropolitan Home Magazine stacked in the basement, and while she was doing laundry, I’d sit nearby and flip through them. Instead of reading the content, I went straight for the ads. Before long, I was on the obsessive hunt to find and collect every Absolut Vodka print ad I could get my hands on. They fascinated me, and at the time (I was about 10), I didn’t know why. I just knew they triggered something that caught my creative attention.
After collecting hundreds of Absolut ads, and eventually Got Milk ads, my dream was to one day create creative pieces of [advertising] content of my own. I began to think in terms of concepts- “If I were to create an Absolut campaign, what would it be?” Countless more sketch books got filled up with ideas, drawings, ad ideas. At the age of 12, when someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told them “I want to make Absolut Vodka ads.” I didn’t know the correct term for that was “art director.” I immersed myself in countless art classes in high school, and eventually studied graphic design.
It was in college where I learned that design is about problem solving- it is the technical execution of a creative idea. The first job I had after college was as a junior “designer” in an advertising agency. I wanted to be the one coming up with the big “absolut-vodka-esque” campaign ideas, however my role was to be the one executing them.
I had trouble understanding what the differences were between art direction and design. Eventually I understood that art directors are supposed to provide the concept and designers are supposed implement the concept. But it’s never that black and white. In my experience, the process is much more collaborative. The ideas inform the concept and vice versa.
After having professional experiences as both a designer and an art director, it is interesting to point out their respective trends in pieces of branded entertainment. The following videos are ones I admire and appreciate. They do a fantastic job at combining the magic that is design and art direction:
The visual juxtapositions are what drew me into this video. The contrast of old and new, depicted by the older photographs against a present-day background, ties the concept of this video together.
The organic looking graphic overlays are beautiful here. They help give the video more of a hand-made look and feel, driving home the goal of the video itself: to show how Persol glasses are handmade. Effects like this add another layer of detail and beauty to the overall video piece, making it even more interesting to watch.
I have always been a fan of kinetic typography. When done well, it is an effective (and creative) tool to communicate a message. If timed correctly it also proves effective in keeping ones attention. The video is still entertaining and engaging if you choose to watch without sound.
I love how this concept meets the execution half way in this piece for Nokia. The video demonstrates a new smartphone’s imaging capabilities through this magical, microscopic animation. (Fun fact: this ad holds a Guinness World Record as the smallest stop-motion animated film, pretty cool huh?)
This uplifting video communicates that everything is better in color- the combination of concept, stop motion animation, and music choice tie the whole piece together. Makes me want to go paint something.
