The top five ad campaigns of 2018 so far
From legal disputes to diversity, pollution and movie sequel safety videos, the advertising industry has been serving some of its finest work in 2018.
At The Drum, we believe in shining a light on the best and emphasising that being in advertising should be a source of real pride. To this point here are five campaigns from 2018 so far that have really made an impact.
With The Drum Advertising Awards deadline a little over a week away we hope to inspire and encourage you to show us the amazing work you’ve created in the past year.
Zulu Alpha Kilo and Consonant Skincare: Consonant store launch
In June, Zulu Alpha Kilo and Canadian skincare brand Consonant launched its third brick-and-mortar store through an out of home (OOH) campaign that utilized the rough textures of Toronto in a unique way. To represent different types of skin challenges, Consonant took over walls and sign posts with various surface textures like rough brick, dry wood and cracked cement in a series of ambient coupons and postings. Passers-by were invited to the store if they felt that their skin was like any of the textures mentioned. The posters held simple messages like: “If your skin feels as rough as [a cutout of a brick wall] visit us on June 30.”
Wieden+Kennedy and Nike: Nothing Beats a Londoner
Earlier this year, Nike was looking to mobilise active Londoners with a new ad campaign designed to show the range of activity undertaken by people in the city.
The ad by Wieden+Kennedy London represents the passion of young Londoners, 250-plus who set out through the city showcasing their skills along with cameos from Skepta, Mo Farah, Harry Kane, Dina Asher-Smith and England manager Gareth Southgate
Despite split opinions on the ad and a legal dispute which ultimately removed it from YouTube, the content was highly praised and far reaching.
Turkish Airlines: safety video with The Lego Movie characters
At the beginning of August, Turkish Airlines revealed a new in-flight safety video, collaborating with cast from The Lego Movie franchise.
This vibrantly, zany film features the cast and self-referential humour of The Lego Movie franchise, taking 16 production specialists 950 days to turn 2,938,840 Lego bricks into an informative flight safety video.
Protagonist Emmet and master builder Wyldstyle are between movies and their newfound fame has led to a “flashy airline safety video”. Along with their friends and some DC Comics cameos like Batman, Superman and The Flash, the cast give their unique rendition of flight safety procedures. There’s even a “catchy” musical number performed by Princess Unikitty that you won’t forget.
The film is shown on all Turkish Airlines flights and has 19,970,603 views on YouTube to date.
FF New York and Sea Shepherd: The Plastic Ocean
More and more agencies are getting on board with confronting global issues and doing social good.
Globally, we face a crisis with plastics flooding the oceans. Every year more than one million marine animals die from plastic debris. In April, non-profit marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd, along with FF New York, decided to broadcast the dilemma of how sea life is affected by plastic pollution.
‘Plastic Ocean’ was conceived to put this issue on the world stage, creating a mindset of sustainable usage of plastic, especially for younger generations. Made up of three still images and a video, the colourful images highlight animals appearing to swim into plastic barriers.
The video itself leaves a chilling reminder of what we are doing to sea creatures. It begins with animals appearing to swim with ease but quickly the turtles, dolphins and sharks become distressed and are trapped and suffocated by the plastic barriers. The clips ends by reminding people that a million sea animals die every year, hopefully encouraging people recycle and reuse and stop plastic pollution.
Droga5 and Covergirl: Stand Out
By putting diverse issues at the front of social media, we are shouting out to the world to accept each other no matter what we look like. This can be seen from Covergirl and Droga5’s ad campaign from February, featuring model, Amy Deanna, who has vitiligo, a skin condition in which the skin loses its pigment cells.
‘Stand Out’ is part of the makeup brand’s #IAmWhatIMakeup campaign by Droga5. In the short clip, Deanna applies two different tones of the brand’s TruBlend foundation. Rather than covering up, she enhances the lighter and darker hues of her skin. In a voice over, she asks “Why try to blend in when you can choose how to stand out?”
These are just some of the amazing campaigns produced so far in 2018, if you think you’ve done just a good job, or even a better one, why not enter The Drum Advertising Awards.
The entry deadline for these awards is Friday 14 September. Download the entry pack now and show the world your best, most creative and innovative work.
Source: Marketing