The Best and Worst Ads of 2017

The Best

Fearless Girl, Agency: McCann New York

The winner of five Grand Clio awards was created by Kristen Visbal and commissioned by State Street Global Advisors. The award-winning and now iconic installation was placed in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull to promote and celebrate International Women’s Day. The statue’s strength paved the way for McCann New York to win agency of the year, and for State Street to win advertiser of the year.

MailChimp “Did You Mean MailChimp?”, Agency: Droga5

MailChimp is already an established brand, but their first major campaign introduces them to a new audience in a way that subverts almost every expectation. By creating goofy and fun mispronunciations of their name MailChimp is able to prove that they are true to themselves and use creative ways to help their customer base.

Samsung “Ostrich”, Agency: Leo Burnett

Samsung’s tagline “do what can’t be done” refers to their virtual reality headsets and what you are able to experience when you put it on. This ad premiered during the product launch of the S8 and S8+ and used #DoWhatYouCan’t to further promote the new Samsung product lineup.

Audi “Daughter”, Agency: Venables Bell & Partners

Rated as one of the top commercials aired during the Super Bowl, ‘Daughter’ pushes for equal pay and employment opportunities for women, pushing for progress with #DriveProgress. Though not directly related to any specific Audi model, spokespeople for the company say that progress is at the core of the brand.

The Worst

Jennifer Aniston Smart Water campaign, Agency: AR New York

Bland print ads and unfunny attempts to go viral have plagued the bottled water company’s campaign with a very popular spokesperson. However, a bright spot in an otherwise unexciting campaign takes an aim at celebrity gossip: a video that shows Jennifer Aniston’s “leaked security tapes” revealing all of her secrets, from being pregnant to wearing a wig.

GoDaddy “The Internet Wants You”, Agency: Bullish

GoDaddy was once the king of scandalous ads, especially during the Super Bowl, but this year’s ad went in a different direction, poking fun at internet trends, from sneezing pandas and water bottle flipping, to “David After Dentist” and Rick Astley. The commercial itself was clever, but fell flat, with almost too much going on to effectively promote GoDaddy’s services.

T-Mobile #Unlimited Moves, Agency: Publicis Seattle

The Super Bowl commercial featuring Justin Bieber was in one word, underwhelming. Coming off of last year’s spot with Drake dancing to ‘Hotline Bling’, Bieber plays a “celebration expert” narrating touchdown celebrations throughout the years. Bieber is refreshingly down to earth, but his presence alone is not enough to give life to an otherwise unfunny commercial.

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