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AGENCIES Which agency has the best ratings when you add 'em all up and average it out?
DIRECTORS And if you do the same thing with directors, who's top of that list?
CREATIVES Are you one of the twenty-five creatives who's won a coveted place on this list?
AGENCY PRODUCERS Or are you one of the most highly regarded agency producers in the UK?
FILM PRODUCERS You may have worked out that there's a bit of a theme developing by now.
BRANDS Mind you, this one's a bit different as it looks at the brands themselves.
FILM PRODUCTION COMPANIES Another company list - is your place of employment one of those on this list? If so, demand a pay rise - you're obviously doing something right.
POST / EDITING / SOUND COMPANIES We've bundled together all the tertiary companies into a single list. There are a few prominent companies on here that don't subscribe to DAVID. The fools.
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY Are you one of the best twenty-five cinematographers working in advertising? You are? Then you should be on this list.
HSBC attempt to address the relentless financial trap of homelessness in this hard-hitting commercial. The film sees a woman bouncing between the same roadblocks over and over again while a cold voiceover narrates the cycle: "No home, no address. No address, no bank account. No bank account, no job. No job, no home."
Director Siri Bunford has done a wonderfully restrained job here, allowing the situation's grim monotony and lack of compassion to speak for itself. An increasingly distressed central performance and clever staging mingle with the voiceover's robotic quality to enhance the piece's dystopian feel - making it all the more upsetting that this is a very real situation across the nation.
The Progress Film Company nab Zee Ntuli.
South African director Zee Ntuli has joined the ambitious team at The Progress Film Company.
Born and raised in London, Ntuli flits between commercials and feature films with ease. When he's not behind the camera in Cape Town or Johannesburg, Ntuli can be found at film festivals all over the world.
As fans of 'Hot Fuzz' and riverside walks will attest, swans are fiercely territorial. Sipsmith's Mr. Swan (voiced by Julian Barratt) reckons attack is the best form of defence, turning Wimbledon into "the official tennis" of his distillery. It's sponsorship, Jim, but not as we know it.
It's another superb outing for the stop-motion bird, who commandeers every piece of Wimbledon paraphernalia for marketing purposes. This includes the ball machine, the umpire's chair, the rain, and even Rufus the Hawk - much to the dismay of an All England Club official.
Their dialogue is a treat from start to (abrupt) finish, complemented by immaculate animation and reverent production design. Whether it's enough to dislodge Pimms from tennis fans' minds is unclear, but this is still one top-notch tie-in.
Compulsive spokesman Eric Cantona's next port of call is Sports Direct, who aim to convert non-believers as Euro 2020 unfolds. First on the list is Dave - an electrician who sees nothing wrong about a power cut during the big game. That's where Cantona, the ghosts of football past, present, and future rolled into one, comes in.
Like the retailer’s 2020 Christmas ad, ‘Just A Game!?’ boasts Premier League starpower (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bruno Fernandes, and Harry Maguire, among others) and raw skills from the teenage cast. The Nike influence is again obvious, but that doesn't detract from a spirited ad which sweeps viewers - and Dave - along with gusto.
A diabetes diagnosis can feel like being plunged into a world of restrictions, but this entertaining ad for Freestyle suggests help is at hand. The brand's constant blood sugar monitor aims to help the recently diagnosed get to grips with their glucose levels, offering a route through the cacophony of 'no's.
An animated voiceover brings requisite energy to proceedings, as what begins as a bit of light reading rapidly descends into limiting chaos. Salt, sugar, soda - it's all revealed to be off the table in amusing fashion, from a scuttling salt shaker to a can of fizz that pours itself backwards.
Director Mark Molloy has done a lovely job of creating a claustrophobic atmosphere despite the ad's comedic tone, meaning the hushed resolution is extra-effective. Fun and hard-working in equal measure, it's worth a second watch to absorb all the minor details.
HSBC attempt to address the relentless financial trap of homelessness in this hard-hitting commercial. The film sees a woman bouncing between the same roadblocks over and over again while a cold voiceover narrates the cycle: "No home, no address. No address, no bank account. No bank account, no job. No job, no home."
As fans of 'Hot Fuzz' and riverside walks will attest, swans are fiercely territorial. Sipsmith's Mr. Swan (voiced by Julian Barratt) reckons attack is the best form of defence, turning Wimbledon into "the official tennis" of his distillery. It's sponsorship, Jim, but not as we know it. Another superb outing for the stop-motion bird.
A diabetes diagnosis can feel like being plunged into a world of restrictions, but this entertaining ad for Freestyle suggests help is at hand. The brand's constant blood sugar monitor aims to help the recently diagnosed get to grips with their glucose levels, offering a route through the cacophony of 'no's. Fun and hard-working in equal measure
The trend for elaborate squad announcements continues with this stirring piece of work for the Football Association. Press conference junkies might flinch, but the governing body’s faith in director Keane Pearce Shaw and rapper Wretch 32 has paid off. This is in large part down to the casting, as national spirit is rendered with diversity and personality.
Volkswagen announce their inclusive electric car initiative in this intriguing ad. Directed by Billy Boyd Cape, the film sees the streets awash with cars hidden by sheets - no matter if they're driving, parked, or affixed with disconcerting L-plates. We're pretty sure that's not part of a standard driving test.
'Vikings' meets road safety in this excellent communication from the Danish Ministry of Transport. A self-conscious warrior chieftain is publicly shamed into doing the right thing, as his son insists that he doesn't go off raiding without the proper safety gear. It's an amusing concept which is deftly executed by director Tore Frandsen, who nails the historical drama feel while still ensuring the script's humour shines through.
Mastering one sport doesn't mean you'll achieve greatness in all areas, according to this entertaining ad for Allianz. The tongue-in-cheek film sees fastest man alive Usain Bolt compete against young up-and-comers across the sporting world, including a wheelchair basketball prodigy and the heir apparent to his sprinting throne.
Just yesterday we drew attention to the emerging theme of this summer's advertising communication – namely, the trepidation of emerging from lockdown. And, having done so, we have now seen the form's apotheosis in this truly lovely commercial for Anheuser-Busch... the brewer that makes Budweiser and other beers in the United States.
A robot reminiscent of Pixar's WALL-E embarks on a crusade to clean up the planet before returning to his home in a dejected state. He reminds us of our own sense of futility at the enormity of the problem… for context, the largest of the floating garbage islands in the Pacific Ocean is currently three times the size of France.
This hopeful Nationwide commercial is as far removed from image rights and European Super Leagues as can be. Despite his tender years, twelve-year-old Finton has already learned plenty about triumph and disaster on the pitch. While some never grow out of mecurial behaviour, Finton was lucky enough to find both the right teammates and the right coaches.
Keen to portray gambling as a social activity rather than a solitary one, William Hill present this lively 90" commercial from directors Michel+Nico. Backed by Neil Diamond’s 'Sweet Caroline', the ad reacquaints viewers with bustling pubs, barbershops, and sports events that have been largely dormant since March 2020.
It doesn't matter how huge Nike become, they will always represent themselves as the nonconformists, and this idea has served them extraordinarily well in the English-speaking world where their rebellious streak is broadly seen as a sly piece of brand positioning, even by those who don't know what 'brand positioning' is.
Those who root for the hare instead of the tortoise will appreciate this 90" commercial for New Balance. "Impatience is a virtue," claims Jaden Smith, a man known for making bold statements. Yet when seventeen-year-old professional tennis player Coco Gauff arrives on-screen, the gambit makes sense.
This beautiful commercial completes the trio of ads directed by Frédéric Planchon for Cadbury which have been on slow release since they were filmed in 2019. This, like the first commercial in the series, hinges on the casting of a child and, once again, Planchon has coaxed an utterly charming performance from his young protagonist.
It's interesting to see which organisations have sustained the pressure which built up a year ago when George Floyd was murdered in plain sight. The initial flurry of performative shock has predictably abated especially in our own industry but, surprisingly, and two leading sport broadcasters have continued to support both the ideas behind Black Lives Matter and, even more surprisingly, the organisation itself.
No-one enjoys a pandemic, per se, but retailer Pets At Home have cause for celebration. £1 billion sales stem from an upsurge in pet ownership, and this 80" film celebrates the deepened bond between humans and animals. Scored by 'It Must Be Love', the ad shows how cats, dogs, lizards, guinea pigs, and fish become part of the family.
This is one of those ideas which works even though you have no idea why. It is very strange to represent the tension of a penalty kick by showing dozens of drummers on the pitch, and hundreds more elsewhere. But the strangeness lands extremely well, and Sam Brown's flair for generating a spectacle enables the creation of a memorable and fun commercial.
Gumtree rejig their proposition with four 20" ads courtesy of director Jim Hosking and agency Wieden & Kennedy. Keen to empower customers and expunge the middleman once and for all, the online marketplace denounce cheap sales tactics like eye candy, empty promises, and, erm, sexy men on rugs. Worse than carpet moths, they are.
This pseudo-documentary trailer from Big Red Button has its tongue jammed firmly in cheek throughout, as it cleverly apes documentary tropes like shadow-hidden interviewees, ambushed scientists, and dramatically scored news footage. There's even the eponymous cork board and string included, as attempts to understand Fanta's latest flavour threaten to drive the country to madness.
H&M preach body positivity in this latest campaign for their range of swimwear. Fronted by plus-sized Instagram model Paloma Elsesser, the film goes underwater as it encourages customers to block out the haters and enjoy all summer has to offer on their own terms. Director Amber Grace Johnson strikes a good balance between aesthetics and message here, as models of all shapes and sizes plunge into the deep and find solace from the day to day noise.
When Apple decided to go to war with Facebook by giving users the option to prevent apps from collecting their data, it provided them with an opportunity to stake a claim on the moral high ground. Apple hasn't wasted any time in marketing themselves as the new guardians of privacy, and they've done it rather brilliantly.
Cheesy and cheerful, this ad for Robinsons brings some vintage fun to the small screen. Directed by Ninian Doff, the film sees a choir of children haunting adults when they least expect it, encouraging them to brighten any unfortunate situation with a glass of grown-up squash. And no, we don't mean wine.
Sergei and Aleksandr suffer from a terminal case of keeping up with the Joneses in their latest outing for Compare the Market. Mustachioed meerkat dandy Antoine D'Orleau has moved in next door, heralding a rapid game of one upmanship from their respective balconies. The "anything you can do, I can do better" vibe is captured playfully here, as each move the perennial spokes-kats make is immediately countered by their new rival.
Released shortly after Stephen Lawrence Day and the trial of Derek Chauvin, this eloquent film features a police interview of a different kind. A serving Black officer answers questions about life on the force, and how more like him are needed to repair decades of mistrust. His interviewer is a former cadet who left over concerns about his appearance and multiple stop-and-search incidents.
Did Chelsea lose a bet with the Test Card Girl? The club's new home kit suggests so, but Nike's blend of zig-zags and squares may also be a tribute to dazzle camouflage used in World War I. Either way, next season's design is not for the faint-sighted. The accompanying launch ad is far more agreeable, with director Harry Cauty evoking 1960s London.
