Whether it’s the sentimentality of the Folgers Coffee 1986 spot “Peter Comes Home for Christmas,” or the Budweiser ad from 2000 that inspired an entire generation to ask, “Wasssup?” – a well-done ad can crawl into your head space and stay planted for decades.
You remember the emotion, the message and the product. That’s good advertising.
It’s no wonder brands continue to spend millions of dollars every year on video content, promoting ads on social pages, uploading them to their YouTube channels, and, yes, still placing them in prime time television ad slots.
And while television may no longer be the first thought for marketers when it comes to video advertising, video is by no means slowing down.
YouTube reports over six-billion hours of video are watched each month on its site, with over one million advertisers using Google ad platforms. Just last week, comScore claimed Facebook had generated over a billion video views in August alone.
As part of our “Get to Know” CMO profile series, we ask the experts about their favorite ads. A number of leading marketers – from brands like Dannon, La-Z-Boy, USPS, and Taco Bell – have shared which ads caught their eye.
Here’s our list of the video ads CMOs liked best, and what they had to say about them.
Top 15 Video Ads From America’s Leading CMOs
1. Sergio Fuster @ The Dannon Company
I like the Lincoln MKC ads with Matthew McConaughey. There is an uncommon authenticity to the storytelling in that campaign.
2. Chris Brandt @ Taco Bell
I loved the Cadillac spot about Americans and how hard work leads to rewards. I thought it really positioned Cadillac as a strong, aspirational, truly American brand. It also made me proud to be American. Very cool.
3. Julie Lyle @ HHGregg
“Don’t touch my Dart” from Dodge. I love it for the simplicity of the ad, and the fact that it is so relatable.
They captured a basic human truth – that everyone knows how frustrating it is to find a scratch on your car – and they told the story in a fun and engaging way. You remember the emotion, the message and the product. That’s good advertising.
4. Michael Sprague @ KIA
I like Apple’s campaign for the iPhone 5s – Strength and Powerful. Without saying a word they manage to show all the amazing ways to use the device.
5. Patricia Perez-Ayala @ Avon
I like the Coca Cola spot that aired during the World Cup – it makes quite an emotional impact.
6. Marissa Thalberg @ Estee Lauder
It’s about a year old, but I only recently saw Brazil’s Recife Soccer Club “Immortal Fans” campaign and was so moved by this as an example of what magic can happen when you have incredible brand love matched with incredible storytelling.
7. Eric Doninger @ Jack Daniel’s
I enjoyed Allstate’s “Safe in my hands” LGBT campaign. It’s artistic, relevant and on brand strategy – way to go!
8. Doug Collier @ La-Z-Boy
I love Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty for three reasons. First, it has taken a commodity-like product and developed an incredibly distinct persona for the brand while at the same time bringing attention to a real social issue, all the while increasing sales.
Second, it has managed to keep the campaign fresh over the last decade since it launched, with a couple of its more recent evolutions being its “Real beauty Sketches” video and Dove Mirrors.
The third reason is that it has used social media extremely effectively as one of the key drivers of visibility.
8. Richelle Parhmam @ ebay
I have been really intrigued by all of the interpretations and social media pick up of Pharrell William’s song Happy.
I love the video of school kids in Detroit and the video from Mumbai – super cool.
9. Joe Saracino @ Erwin Penland
The Extra Gum spot from a few months ago, where the daughter saves all those little origami swans the father has made her. I love stories, and I guess with two daughters of my own, that story really got to me.
10. John Dragoon @ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
In general, I’m underwhelmed by most advertising. I do like the current Charles Schwab campaign, and in particular, their tag line “Own Your Tomorrow”. I think it’s authentic and I like the message that we are in charge of our own future.
11. Allison Lowrie @ HomeAdvisor
I thought Expedia did something clever with their #throwmeback campaign.
They’ve encouraged people to post nostalgic summer trip photos to Instagram or Twitter for a chance to recreate the trip. It’s a creative way to connect with users via social media in a way that seems genuine to the brand.
They also did a nice job supporting the campaign with TV, social and digital.
12. Rose Hamilton @ Pet360
As a female executive and mother of a young daughter, the Ban Bossy Campaign, encouraging girls to lead, caught my eye.
I recognize how important it is to encourage voices to be heard, especially girls, when they may be the minority in a conversation. However, I might slightly change the words to “embrace” bossy rather than “ban” bossy and encourage girls to lead.
My “inner bossy” is what helps me to try new things and remain persistent in the face of opposition. Helping girls harness their opinions and learn how to “influence” others can change the world!
13. Chris Lindner @ Sperry Top Sider
It’s World Cup time as I’m writing this so there has been some amazing work recently produced in time for the event. My favorite hands down was the Beats by Dre short film “The Game Before the Game.”
I was blown away with the work and loved the concept. It was beautifully executed, and showed insight into athletes and their relevance within culture. Phenomenal!
14. Brian Kenny @ Harvard Business School
It goes back to the holiday season, but the last ad I remember pausing to watch – and then seeking out online to watch again – was Apple’s Misunderstood ad:
15. Nagisa Manabe @ USPS
I loved Amazon’s TV ad over the holidays because the packages were going into our mailboxes!
Comments