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The world’s best 19 TV ads of the year – 2014

The winners of this year’s Cannes Lions Film awards were announced over the weekend.

Selected by a jury of 22 of the world’s most respected creatives the awards are the closest the industry will come to consensus on the world’s best TV ads of the last 12 months.

Below are the two Grand Prix winning entries and the 17 Gold Lion winners from this year.

1. Sorry I spent it on myself – Harvey Nichols – grand prix winner

Adam&EveDDB London, UK

For a Christmas campaign this ad promoted the idea of consumers blowing their present budget on themselves then presenting loved ones with basic gifts like tooth picks and paper clips, with the point made that “It’s from Harvey Nichols”.

2. The epic split – Volvo Trucks – grand prix winner
Forsman & Bodenfors Gothenburg, Sweden

JC Van Damme carry out his famous split between two reversing trucks. To demonstrate the Volvo Dynamic Steering – in a spectacular and entertaining way to reach a wide audience.

Gold Lions:

3. Rescue – Marmite for Unilever
Adam&EveDDB London, UK

This UK ad, filmed in the style of an animal rescue documentary  targets people’s love or hate attitude towards the yeast based condiment.

4. Shampoo – Southern Comfort
Wieden & Kennedy New York, USA

In “Shampoo” and “Karate”, we watch a man get a shampoo in a salon and then demonstrate his martial arts prowess and own every second of it. This man embodies the spirit of “Whatever’s Comfortable” in every fibre of his being and every follicle of his hair.

6. Parents – Coca-Cola Life for Coca-Cola Company
Santo Buenos Aires, Argentina

A couple suffers the hard work of raising a child, but when they find out they’re pregnant again, they’re happy to do it once more.

7. Momsong – Old Spice 
Wieden&Kennedy Portland, USA

New Old Spice Re-Fresh Body Spray may cause boys to become men, girls to become girlfriends, and moms to become sad as shown the following three ads for the male fragrance.

10. Possibilities – Nike
Athletic footwear and apparel
Wieden&Kennedy Portland, USA

The film, which features Nike athletes LeBron James, Serena Williams and Gerard Piqué, among others, delivers a simple message: the more you move, the more your limits move. Whether that means one more step, one more lift, a little bit higher or a little bit faster, it’s about pushing your limits a little more each time—until you meet a challenge that even you could never have imagined.

11. Perfect Day – Sony
Playstation
BBH New York, USA

The centerpiece to Sony’s PS4 “Greatness Awaits” campaign pits two gamers against each other singing Lou Reed’s haunting ballad “Perfect Day” as they battle through three game worlds re-created in live-action.

12. Too Complicated – Du
Telecommunications
Leo Burnett Dubai, UAE

True human insights about movie genres and entertainment help position the Du Tuesday proposition in these two humorous ads – Two tickets for the price of one.

14. Mistakes – New Zealand Transport Agency
Speed
Clemenger BBDO Wellington, NZ

In the moment before a car crash, time pauses and allows two drivers to have a conversation. It becomes clear that speed will determine the outcome.

15. First Kiss – Wren
Clothing
Durable Goods Los Angeles, USA

Twenty strangers are asked to kiss for the first time to promote a fashion label in a unique and compelling campaign.

16. Climate Name Change – 350 Action
Climate Name Change
Barton F. Graf 9000 New York, USA

Since 1954, the World Meteorological Organisation has been naming hurricanes and extreme storms. So, in order to increase awareness of climate change and it’s link to extreme storms, the agency created a petition to the World Meteorological Organisation to change their current naming system of storms from randomly selected names, such as Katrina and Sandy, to the names of actual United States policy makers who deny climate change.

17. Bucket List – Waterislife
non-profit
DDB New York, USA

The Bucket List film features a four year-old Maasai boy named Nkaitole, who has previously never left his village, as he embarks on his own, personal bucket list adventure. He checks off such experiences as flying on an airplane, taking a ride in a hot air balloon, seeing the ocean and many more.

18. Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989 – Honda Motor Co.
Internavi
Dentsu Tokyo, Japan

This ad harks back to the 1980s when Honda introduced its telemetry system, making the data available for the late Ayrton Senna to be heard once more.

19. The 1000 Miles Of Luca – Consejo Publicitario Argentino
International Day of People with Disabilities
TBWA\Buenos Aires, Argentina

Pablo, the dad of a boy who was born with Down syndrome tells their own story about inclusion, love and fun for the campaign for International Day of People with Disabilities.

Research: Rob Burton-Bradley

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