12 of my favourite ad campaigns from the last 12 months

A look at the most interesting, captivating and successful ad campaigns that straddled the latter half of 2014 and the front half of 2015.

Normally something like this is reserved for the traditional year-end lists, however the period between June 2014 and this month is the eligibility period of The Masters of Marketing awards, so I thought this was a good enough excuse to buck with tradition.

If you are also responsible for a terrific advertising campaign, then please do enter it into the Advertising category (closing date 23 September).

The Masters of Marketing awards, brought to you by Econsultancy and Marketing Week, is a major stage for sharing and promoting true mastery and excellence in the marketing industry which could lead to a year-round programme of reputation building publicity and press coverage for your business, your work and your team.

To inspire your own entry, check out these awesome campaigns…

Virgin America – BLAH Airlines

October 2014 saw the launch of a gigantic multichannel, world-building content campaign that was as hilarious as it is inventive. It’s also kind of boring and an expert lesson in what not to do on almost every digital channel in existence.

Welcome to BLAH Airlines. The highlight of which is its six hour long advert. Yep, that’s right. SIX HOURS.

Geico – Unskippable

Geico’s campaign from March 2015 gloriously subverted everything you thought you knew about YouTube pre-roll ads.

Pre-rolls are as obtrusive as pop-ups and just as reviled, but then again if pre-rolls were of a similar, highly entertaining and innovative quality as the above, maybe things would be different.

Purina – Puppyhood

Three and a half minutes of pure improvised joy.

It’s probably weird that I cried more at the end of this than I did Boyhood.

Google – Translate

Technical mastery or pure witchery, either way this is a superb balance of showing off something that would be difficult to explain in an entertaining and charming way.

Nike – Short a Guy

This frenetically paced ad is a breathless and inventive journey through Nike’s entire range.

Ikea – Beds

Somehow peaceful and stomach turning at the same time, Ikea’s ode to bedtime is a technical marvel.

Honda – The Other Side

Honda’s interactive video proves that there’s certainly more than one way to sell the same car. The trailer is below, but head to Honda for the full experience.

NTT Docomo – 3 Second Cooking (Gyoza)

I could watch this series of videos all day, here the Japanese telecoms company shows you just how fast its 4G service can be… Terrifying and somewhat unrealistic.

States United to Prevent Gun Violence – The Gun Shop

A sobering hidden camera based campaign that reveals the secret history of all the guns available in this particular gun store.

Rolling Stone Magazine – The Steves

Many eternal questions are explored in this hilarious and bittersweet image to Steve Jobs.

Twix Bites – Y2K

Short, snappy and very funny. So two-thirds like a Twix Bite.

Smart Car – Kids

Children swearing can be a cheap laugh, but this makes a beautifully valid point. Not safe for work, unless you have headphones on and aren’t offended by bad language.

Make sure your own creative achievements are recognised by entering your work into the Advertising category of The Masters of Marketing, Econsultancy’s new awards in partnership with Marketing Week.