2021 has been another “abnormal year”. The world started the year with the hope that the vaccine would help us back to normality. Unfortunately, it seems as though the pandemic is more difficult to shake than we hoped and we seem to be ending the year with the prospect of lockdowns, etc. Especially in Europe and Latin America. That aside, it has been another incredibly creative year and, you, the agencies have produced some excellent work again. We don’t have any “premiers” but below are some of the best ads in 2021. At least these are our favorite ones for the year as consumers. (in no particular order)
Best advertising campaigns in 2021
Almacén- Semáforo Concientizador
You will see there is a theme to the campaigns that we’re highlighting as best ads in 2021 in that we like ads that are for the greater good. These are ads that promote a better society and this is a perfect example. This excellent ad by Almacén (winner of the FePI’s best independent ad agency 2021) for Honda addresses a big issue in many developing countries with motorbikers. There are too many motorbike riders who don’t wear their helmets so check out this initiative…
GUT Buenos Aires – Feliz Navidad Maria
This touching ad from one of our favorite agencies GUT features Maria, a lady who volunteers in a diner who found a million Argentinian Pesos (between $5k and $10k depending on which exchange rate you wish to use) and gave it back. This initiative by Mercado Pago shows that good deeds are rewarded.
LOLA MullenLowe (Spain) – It’s on Us
We like this campaign and have included it as one of the best ads in 2021 because it’s another that breaks down some of the stereotypes of beauty. Perhaps it is ironic that the advert is for Dove which is actually a beauty product but it’s a great initiative
Wunderman Thompson- Born this way
Not to be outdone when it comes to the big issues, Lux commissioned Wunderman Thompson to create the “Born this way” campaign. We have to say that we love it and is one of the best ads in 2021 because of the animation which is done by Le Cube.
BBDO New York – Teenage Dream
This campaign by the Sandy Hook Promise tells the true story of victims school shootings. They do so by singing “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. As the ad starts, it appears as though they are any normal teenagers singing the song but as one of the headlines states “The teenage dream is not what it used to be.” It’s moving and thought-provoking and the meaning of the lyrics take on a new meaning in light of the tragedies suffered by the protagonists.
Estrella Damm – Amor a primera vista
We’re not sure if this was attributable to an agency or not. We can say it was directed by Ian Pons Jewell and Oriol Villar was the creative director and it’s a clever ad that uses verse to give the audience the impression that they are watching a play. It helped that the ad has a couple of famous Spanish actors (Mario Casas & Mireia Oriol)! The best part of all is that the ad was created to highlight the environmental issues we face in 2021.
Nike – New Girl
This is an all too familiar story about a couple that’s told that they’re expecting a baby girl. Although filmed for a Japanese audience, it’s relevant to far too many places.
Comunica+A: Embrace the curves of Life
The message about making the most of the journey rather than rushing from this ad for Hackett resonated with us, a group of entrepreneurs. It ends with the phrase, “whenever you find what makes you happy, be bold, and go get it.”
The Humane Society of the United States- Save Ralph
The Humane Society of the United States shook the world in April by showing what most of us know happens before some of the most popular beauty products are sold on the market: they are tested on animals. Celebrities like Taika Waititi and Zac Efron and Ricky Gervais were a part of the video that quickly took over social media. But it wasn´t their participation that made the campaign one of the best ads in 2021, it was the clarity and uniqueness of the message. Save Ralph touched thousands of hearts around the globe and got at least a few hundred interested in fighting against animal testing or at least pitching in by researching cruelty-free alternatives.
Slap Global- Thanks Mom, and Mom
Doritos took over 2021 with a campaign that showed the LGBTQ+ community. With the slogan #PrideAllYear, the brand didn’t just launch ads that promoted the acceptance and equality of the community during Pride Month, they stretched it out through the whole year with many touching ads. But ‘Thanks Mom, and Mom’, created by Slap Global is one you don’t want to miss. Gathering kids who have two moms and getting them to read a letter to them while also discussing some of the struggles homoparental families might face made this an ad worth watching more than once. Plus, the pictures of the kids growing up with their moms are just adorable.
Alma and VaynerMedia- #BetterWithPepsi
This campaign is simply GENIOUS and deserves acknowledgment as one of the best ads in 2021. The fact that the creatives decided to look for the iconic Pepsi logo in the logos of popular fast-food brands was just incredible. Alma and VaynerMedia definitely hit the goal with this campaign that I’m sure gave more than one person a good laugh.
Energy BBDO- For when it’s time
When the pandemic hit our lives in march 2020, most of the world had no idea of how much we would miss the lack of social interaction. By now, almost two years later, I bet even the introverts miss it.
Extra Gum’s ad ‘For when it’s time’ created by Energy BBDO takes this and creates a comic post-pandemic world in which people crave contact with other humans so badly that once the news announces the pandemic is ‘over’ and people can go back to their lives, the world goes crazy!
This funny commercial shows how happy we’ll be when we get to do all those things again. Well, everyone except for millennials and Gen Z, most of them just want to keep working from home and find it absurd to commute daily to an office to do the same things they’d do at home. I’m with them TBH.
VaynerMedia, USA- The Mess We Miss
Who would’ve thought that one day we’d miss the chaos that used to rule the world before covid. But now, after almost two years of the world trying to fight this pandemic, there are for sure tons of stuff from before we can’t wait to do again.
This Pepsi ad that points out that one day we’ll be together again is as funny as it is touching. But, right now that covid is still such a big deal in our lives, there are some things it shows- like many people eating from the same shrimp cocktail or drinking from the same can- that might be hard to watch.
There are so many others that we liked but didn’t include in this article to keep it a readable length. The point is that the creative force is still as strong as ever! Congrats to you all and we wish you Happy Holidays and all the best for 2022
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