An early indication that a campaign will appear on Warc one day as an effectiveness paper is when it is fervently shared at launch. Channel 4's 'We're the Superhumans' Rio Paralympics 2016 trailer, created in-house, was the broadcaster's most shared ad to date and shows, among other amazing acts, a man flying a plane with his feet.
A fitting sequel to Channel 4's 2012 Superhumans campaign, it's part of a wider initiative by the broadcaster to encourage advertisers to use more disabled talent in their communications.
It premiered on Facebook where it generated the most organic video views and overall reach from a single post on Channel 4's Facebook page this year. On YouTube it's currently attracted more than 3 million views. Not since Sport England's This Girl Can campaign has an ad fizzed with such a positive mission.
'The Anthem' by Samsung is a truly creative enterprise which breaks the category norm for consumer electronics. It stitches together an international anthem from countries' individual anthems and enlists Olympic athletes and fans to sing it. In tumultuous times, the effect is stirring.
Samsung states in an official release that the ad: 'strives to break down barriers of geographic borders and to unite the world.' Let's be serious: one ad can't do that. But 'Anthem' at least provides a dose of much-needed optimism, helping Samsung to differentiate in a category that is not exactly renowned for rousing anthems. Through Leo Burnett Chicago and Sydney, it's attracted 24.5 million YouTube views since 21 July.
Speaking of differentiating, Gillette's 'Perfect Isn't Pretty' flies in the face of regular razor advertising. Targeting Gillette's heartland of casual male sports fans aged 18-34, it's an exercise in 'matching the equities of the Games with those of Gillette,' according to Grey New York.
It's a realistic and gritty tale of how four athletes - Neymar Jr., Ashton Eaton, Ning Zetao, and Andy Tennant - reached Olympic standard. A remix of 'Unstoppable' by Sia fits the mood. Grey New York describes its 'darker tone and style' as 'atypical for Gillette.' To date, it's attracted more than 26 million YouTube views.
Still in personal care, Unilever-owned Dove has highlighted the chasm between the performance of female gymnasts and their representation in the media. 'My Beauty, My Say' sees Dove using digital interactive billboards in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, to stream live commentary to demonstrate how often the onus is on athletes' appearance as opposed to their performance. Via Razorfish, this highlights the pressures felt by female athletes while at the same time reinforcing Dove's Real Beauty credentials. It's a smart approach for Unilever which is up against P&G's mighty Thank You, Mom effort, now in its second Games.
Finally, if you haven't yet seen Gatorade's incredible The Boy Who Learned To Fly about Usain Bolt stop what you're doing and devote seven minutes to it. The sports drink category tends to be characterised by scientific talk about how the hi-tech business of hydration enhances performance through isotonic refreshment, etc. etc.
This beautiful film, made by Moonbot Studios, is a different entity altogether: an animation of the life of Usain Bolt which has so far generated 4.5 million views on YouTube. Listen carefully and you can hear the trophy cupboard at TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles being cleared to make way for all the awards it will no doubt win.
