2016 was without a doubt a year for clever and inspiring ads. Advertisers took advantage of the ever-growing number of available platforms, delivering some applause-worthy results.
This list of top 2016 ads is a group effort, and it’s as diverse and creative as our team itself. Some will make you tear up, while others will inspire you or simply make you laugh. We hope you enjoy, and let us know if you agree!
“I loved this Nike Da Da Ding ad from Weiden + Kennedy. In India, girls are told to focus on school and marital eligibility and not sports. Nike flipped the switch to show that girls can – and should – play sports just like the boys do. I love the themes of empowerment and equality.”
2. Stephanie Goodwin, Public Relations Specialist:
“This one makes me cry every time, really powerful, really simple. It’s all user-generated footage shot on an iPhone, and accompanied with the powerful words of Maya Angelou. It’s perfectly timed this year.”
“The Wes Anderson H&M ad is—naturally—super styled and beautiful, but something about it hits me with its strangers-coming-togetherness. That always gets me. This stranger train Christmas is my Christmas dream!”
“Dove took on the Mannequin Challenge with their Real Beauty campaign. I like it because it was quick thinking to tie into a current viral trend with their longstanding, consistent message about real people and real beauty. Creative, smart and a great message for our women, girls and everyone.”
“These ads play into a viewer’s natural impatience when pre-roll ads come on before a video. They’re ridiculous but brilliant, as each contains one line of messaging about Geico that is simple enough to remember. Geico also effectively directs viewers to its website by offering the full versions of each story, which I also found quite entertaining.”
“This ad is out of the box, and I love it. The dynamism of the perfume is perfectly captured in the emotion of the video, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it is selling me something.”
“There was something very dramatic and inspiring about how this commercial was shot and combined with music and sound. You can feel the motion and emotion throughout the spot and the weight of all the work Michael Phelps put into his swimming career. I also love the tagline at the end that sums up his journey perfectly: It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light. I think the “Rule Yourself” idea is an inspiring concept and they told a story about it beautifully.”
Did you notice the same common themes that we did? 2016 was above anything else a year of calling for unity – being a family, coming together and supporting one another through some tense and chaotic moments. The theme of female empowerment also runs strong throughout our ad picks and ads of the year in general, as does the idea of being yourself and working hard to build your own dream. And of course, humor never goes out of style when it comes to making a product memorable.
Did other themes stand out to you from the year? Comment on our Facebook page and let us know!
