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Andy Fowler (left) is ECD of independent London agency Brothers and Sisters. He founded the agency in 2006 after leaving TV company BSkyB where he was creative director. Brothers and Sisters now employs over 60 people in Clerkenwell handling accounts including Sky, the UK’s biggest, Blu e-cigarettes and new win Betfred.
The best ads of 2014
In no particular order of preference.
I chose all these because I watched them all more than once and that’s a good sign.
1/IKEA:Beds
We do some emotional stuff in bed like creating children.
But dreams are the most complex and powerful things of all.
I watch this and think of the beautiful places I can go in my dreams.
My bed is more like a magic carpet than a place I sleep.
2/Primavera:line-up film/trailer
I love this because Primavera music festival has gone to the trouble of creating a cinematic, half hour mini-movie to announce the line-up to their festival. The names of all the bands appear within the film. It’s the most ambitious, long form ad I’ve ever seen and all the better for it.
3/Nike basketball:Lebron James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6S1JoCSVNU
A very simple idea executed with great sensitivity, humanity and emotion. Beautifully crafted on every level, from the haunting score to the black and white colour palette. It’s a brilliant, brilliant piece of work.
4/Story of the Gun:Before the Dawn of the Apes
To whet the appetite for the next Planet of the Apes feature, Pulse Films directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace created this ten-minute film for Twentieth Century Fox that tells the story of the ten years between movies.
An original film to promote an ongoing film franchise.
5/Dodge:Don’t Touch My Dart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1HFtKyDf4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpflBpcF10
It’s like a little sit-com that happens around the car with five or six episodes.
Very funny and very simple. A worthy follow up to the Ron Burgundy Dodge work..
6/Wren:First Kiss
You’ve got to hand it to something that cost nothing to make and has 94 million views on Youtube. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why. Brilliant idea. Totally compelling viewing.
7/Kendrick Lamar’s MAAD City trailer by Kahlil Joseph
You’ll have to believe me on this one because it doesn’t exist on the interweb. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak viewing of it.
A bit like a film to promote a music festival and a film to promote a movie above, this is a 13 minute short film to promote an album. I just love all the imaginative ways in which film is being used.
Film isn’t dead. It’s more alive than ever before thanks to the web.
8/NZ anti drug driving ads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UbARVx-cq8
This is just over a year old, but hey, a bit of rule-breaking never killed anyone.
There’s some funny characters in this campaign and it’s based in huge truth, which is why it’s so funny.
9/Lurpak:Adventure Awaits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmOr9I2JxZs
Brilliant script, fantastic story-telling and razor sharp direction from Dougal Wilson. A winner.
10/Lacoste:Kiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu2ht9c-FFU
This ad makes me feel about 15 again and my feeble attempts to kiss Jo Stanfield at school. There I’ve said it. That feels weird. I love the emotion of it, the massive visual metaphor, the choice of music and it’s a cracking end-line I wish I’d written.
