iO: 'Tina Turner' (starts at 00:06) - Switzerland
The humour in this advert from a German agency for a telecommunications company is so dry that some of you will find themselves wondering why you didn't already know about Tina Turner's extraordinary love of Switzerland. She's actually a Swiss resident these days, but the hyperbolic reconstructions of her childhood and career are a beautifully-weighted spoof demonstrating that her devotion to the mountainous European state began very early in life.
Agency: Heimat (Berlin)
Director: Johan Kramer
Brother: 'Circus' (starts at 01:52) - UK
A young man left in charge of the lighting booth at the big top is a tad nervous, but he's clearly relishing the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. It turns out that he could have done with some labels to help him remember which switch is which, and everything unravels with alarming speed. These days, it's rare to see a good advert which emphasises the benefit of the product with such directness.
Agency: Rosapark (Paris)
Director: Bart Timmer
Centraal Beheer: 'Driverless Cars' (starts at 02:25) - Netherlands
What a great way of highlighting a brand's adaptability and its readiness for the future. There's a lot of media noise about driverless cars at the moment and one of the key issues in everyone's mind is "safety". How can we know that the coming technology will not create new dangers? Of course, when we wonder about that we're usually thinking about a pilotless vehicle responding incorrectly to something in its path or what might happen if it is fed the wrong information about a route. But this funny commercial highlights another danger.
Agency: DDB & Tribal Worldwide (Amsterdam)
Director: Owen Trevor
Dell: '5-Second Film-maker' (starts at 03:29) - US
This charmingly daft piece of advertising introduces us to Marty Goldberg and his faithful assistant Gary, who together create films that are just five seconds long. New Zealand director Adam Gunser has provided a documentary-style advert which perfectly captures both the silliness of this premise and the sweet pathos of Gary's devotion to his mentor.
Agency: Young & Rubicam (New York)
Director: Adam Gunser
Fruit-tella: 'Pregnant' (starts at 04:34) - UK
A nana in the classical tradition – silver helmet, cosy cardi and big specs – makes a startling announcement at the dinner table. Far from being shocked, the family seem delighted ... and Fruit-tella make her impossible-sounding desire come true. This simple idea grabs the attention and makes you laugh.
Agency: Walker Agency
Director: Tom Shrapnel
Samsung Galaxy: 'Every Day Is Day One' (starts at 04:59) - US
The gadgets take a back seat in this lovely film for Samsung. Accompanied by a laidback version of the David Bowie song Absolute Beginners, a collection of people bound by a connection to surfing prepare for the ocean. There are glimpses of the devices that have turned Samsung into Apple's key rival but they are pretty incidental as the film focuses on the human element instead.
Agency: 72andSunny Amsterdam
Director: Mark Molloy
Jason Stone is the editor of David Reviews
