Marketing Week has just posted a run down of March’s most watched adverts on Youtube.  Three in particular caught my eye as comment-worthy:

1. The effect of war on children

At the top of the list was this powerful film from Save the Children charting a second a day in the life of a child caught up in a fictional war in the UK. The child moves from innocent joy in a secure family unit to shocked silence, alone and afraid. The end line reminds us that this is the reality for children in Syria right now.

The ad certainly packs an emotional punch and is the latest in a series of headline-grabbing, hard hitting films made by the children’s charity. The ad is potent and profoundly moving. However, it would be interesting to know how this type of ‘shockvertising’ performs compared to the more positive ads recently favoured by other charities. Oxfam’ s ‘Lift Lives for Good’ campaign is an interesting example of the other end of the charity ad spectrum. Does this harrowing form of advertising still work? Or is a more uplifting approach more effective?

2. Turn off to turn on

Another highly ranking ad last month was Durex’s smart #turnofftoturnon campaign. This video shows couples putting their iPads and smart phones to one side in favour of errrrm… ‘romantic times’ and saving the earth’s resources into the bargain.  It’s a funny, really quite sweet video. It’s also a great example of a brand responding quickly to relevant news stories and leveraging them to their brand’s advantage. (See recent reports that Brits are having less ‘romantic times’ due to spending too much time on mobile devices.)

3. Feminist Builders

Last up is this short film from Snickers. Here we see Aussie builders yelling at women passing by, but not the obscenities or chat up lines you might expect. No, these brickies are shouting empowering slogans like ‘want to hear a filthy word? Gender bias’ and ‘that colour really suits you. Have a productive day.’ Its a fun video, smart, surprising and cheeky. But right up until the end I was wondering, what on earth does this have to do with Snickers…?

Then the end line appeared ‘You’re not You When You’re Hungry.’ Oh now I get it. So all builders are misogynist louts and they are only capable of respecting women when delirious from hunger. But don’t worry, Snickers is here to ensure that their blood sugar levels are restored and they can go back to harassing strangers on the street with gusto. Great. This doesn’t make me want to buy a Snickers. But I guess I’m not their target audience anyway.

What’s the best Youtube ad you’ve seen in the last month?