A friend of mine (@randomnine, indie coder extraordinaire, part-time musician and constructor of intricate and mutated boardgames) just tweeted this:
“Easily the most emotionally powerful video I’ve seen all year, and it’s… an ad spot. Amazing.”
The ad in question is Channel 4′s Paralympics spot. I can’t embed it due to copyright restrictions on the soundtrack, but you can take a look here:
I don’t deny this has got some emotional punch. It’s alternately inspiring, touching and jarringly shocking, and brings home just how incredible the achievements of these athletes are.
But it’s a bit of a shame that he was so surprised that an advertisement can be that powerful. If your advertising doesn’t touch people’s emotions, then you’re doing it wrong.
Emotions make an experience sit with you. An advert that makes you stop and think is going to stick with you, an advert that makes you stop and feel will be in your head for an age.
(Bet you can still remember last year’s John Lewis Christmas TV ad. How many other ads shown then can you think of now?)
And talking of emotional punch, go over to Randomnine’s site and check out Beacon. It’s a freebie, and I defy you not to be a bit choked up once you’ve played it through.
