Top 10 Virals – May 2010
May 2010
1. Nike – Write the future
This latest extraordinary online video from Nike was exclusively launched through their Facebook page and on nikefootball.com, and has managed to reach a staggering + 11 million views just within the last third of May. The 3:03 second long video features footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney to name a few, as well as cameos from the likes of tennis player Roger Federer and animated TV character Homer Simpson. The fun and action-packed video takes the viewers on a journey that dramatically captures that one moment in football when headlines are written, and which potentially can bring eternal happiness to an entire nation, while bringing others saddened to their knees.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
2. TomTom – Behind the scenes of Darth Vader’s voice recording
Lord Vader commands you to turn to the Dark Side. Now, instead of getting driving directions for your journey by the ordinary faceless voice, it’s possible to download the voices of Star Wars characters for your GPS. To promote the first of four new voices for their GPS solutions, TomTom has released this hilarious behind the scenes video of Darth Vader’s session in the studio for his voice recording contribution. The video quite brilliantly ties together with TomTom’s new service offering. The three additional voices to be released are the ones of Yoda, C3PO and Hans Solo.
Agency: Pool Worldwide Amsterdam
3. Olympus – PEN Giant
In July last year, The Pen Story from Olympus was on this Top 10 list, and now Olympus have released a follow up video with just as much ‘feel-good’ atmosphere. The video promoting the Olympus Pen camera is called PEN Giant and is again based on stop motion technique. 355 pictures have been taken with an actual Olympus PEN camera to produce the video without any computer animation at all. The use of stop motion in this video fits perfectly with the brand and product.
Agency: DSG
4. Hi-Tec – Walk on water (Liquid Mountaineering)
This documentary style video gives us a view on a new form of ‘extreme’ sport called liquid mountaineering. It basically involves people attempting to run on water. The video features footage and interviews with the originators of liquid mountaineering as they explain how they are developing the sport from scratch. The Hi-Tec brand cleverly plays a central – but low key – role in the video as it is explained that the sport started by accident when they found out that Hi-Tec’s water repellent shoes can enable you to run across water.
Agency: CCCP Amsterdam
5. Arriva/Movia – Mukhtars Fødselsdag – Bedre Bustur (Mukhtars birthday – better bus ride)
To create positivity and smiles among their passengers, the two public transportation companies Movia and Arriva launched this touching Better Bus Ride video. The video shows a so called flash mob or rather a public surprise party for a randomly chosen bus driver in Copenhagen. Mukhtar, who was going to take the day off for his 41st birthday but was asked to help a friend, unknowingly takes the lead role in the video. A hidden camera within the bus catches a birthday Mukhtar is very unlikely to ever forget and a day that ends quite different from what he might have expected.
Agency: bybird/kadaver
6. TOYOTA – Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon”
In an attempt to give its Sienna minivan a little more street credit, Toyota has created this funny family rap video. With a heavy beat and a couple of gangsta rap lines the mother and father of the Sienna family reject the stereotypical label often given to those who drive a minivan. Toyota has actually created a series of Web videos – and an accompanying Youtube channel – featuring the two self-absorbed parents with the only vehicle that matches their awesomeness, the all new Sienna – the first minivan made with adults’ minds in mind.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles
7. Sony – 3D TV
Sony lets you know that maybe it is time to get a 3D TV in the time for the World Cup with this new video. The slow-motion video showcases Brazilian footballer Kaka performing tricks, a very strong man, a herd of screaming girls, a sports car burning out and a football goal exploding. However, although the video has been shot in 3D, all images are blurred resulting in the entire dramatic slow-motion sequence is showed in double. The fuzzy fake 3D style of the video is actually quite creatively impressive – however there is no doubt that real 3D pictures are preferable.
Agency: Anomaly London
8. Nissan Qashqai – Urban Bowling
What happens when you park a Qashqai at the bottom of a hill and roll hundreds of bowling balls in its direction? Get the answers in this video, which is a funny and clever spoof of the hugely successful Bravia ‘balls’ video from Sony. Nissan is all about challenge and the video is created to prove the fact that they never stop demanding that their cars endure the most extreme conditions. Naturally using bowling balls is a bit of a stretch, but they goes to state that Nissan’s testing facility really does go to outrageous lengths to guarantee consumers’ safety. It sure would be interesting to view the making of video for this.
Agency: TBWA\G1
9. Stella Artois – Up There
This 12:46 second long documentary video by the name of UP THERE is sponsored by Stella Artois. The video is shot high above the streets of New York City, and reveals the dying craft of large-scale hand painted advertising and the in-told story of the painters struggling to keep it alive. Capturing a trade that is equal parts artistic precision and grueling labor, the video presents a painting tradition pre-dating modern advertising. A craft that today finds itself dangling precariously on the brink of extinction. Although not making a significant number of views compared to other videos on this month’s list, it is a brilliant example of branded content aimed at creating deep engagement from a specific target audience.
Agency: Mother New York
10. Google Chrome – Speed Tests
Don’t try to explain it. Just show it. That seems to be the mantra behind this new video from Google to promote their Chrome browser. BBH New York and the Google Creative Lab have joint forces to create this online video that features a variety of experiments to test and document the speed of the Google Chrome browser. The video includes three crazy and playful tests in which Google Chrome is put up against some very fast things: lightning, sound, and an over-dimensional potato gun. Google have also released an interesting behind the scenes video.
Agency: BBH New York
