Each month, Be On, the branded long-form video creation, distribution and measurement business that is part of AOL Platforms, rates the top five global brand videos.
Be On's ranking is based on an internally developed scorecard. The videos are evaluated based on six general criteria (Instant Attractions, Audience Retention, Storytelling, Shareability, Production and Overall campaign), which measure the campaign's online success. The rating scale is from 1 to 10, where 1 is the lowest.
Be On were not involved with the distribution of the following videos.
1. Barbie, "imagine the possibilities"
: BBDO San Francisco
In their latest campaign Barbie asks, what happens when girls are free to imagine they can be anything?
"Imagine the possibilities" lets girls act out the real-life scenarios they conjure up while playing with their dolls. It uses hidden cameras to capture the publics' looks of amazement and awe.
Whether it’s teaching as a professor, helping animals as a veterinarian or coaching a football team, these girls aren’t afraid to think big. As one of the first dolls to represent the working woman, the 56-year-old Barbie is staying true to her values.
The spot empowers young girls to set themselves ambitious goals for the future and has subsequently received praise from top fashion, lifestyle and media outlets around the world for inspiring a generation of girls.
#GirlPossible demonstrates Barbie’s commitment to positive brand values through engaging storytelling.
Rating: 9
2. Toyota Mirai, "fuelled by the future | Back to the Future"
: Droga5, New York
A healthy dose of nostalgia never fails to create a connection with audiences, which is why October 21 2015 was an important date for Toyota, and a memorable day for anyone who ever watched Back to the Future: Part II.
Toyota tapped into the hype surrounding the film’s anniversary by showcasing a special version of the new Mirai saloon, using high-pressure hydrogen and an electric motor in a nod to the famous DeLorean.
Toyota’s journey to the future includes the stars from the original movie, Christopher Lloyd and Michael J Fox, discussing the predictions made by the 1989 film.
Working with blogger, Mischa Pollack of Go Tech Yourself, the brand recreated famous scenes from the movie and reimagined them with the Toyota Mirai.
Released on 20 October, the ad has attracted over four million views so far. It has been well received by media and praised for being so creatively aligned with the Back to the Future franchise, especially as it demonstrated how a prediction from the film is close to being realised in modern society.
Rating: 8.7
3. Similac, "the #EndMommyWars film"
Infant formula brand Similac joins forces with award-winning director Cynthia Wade, to put an end to judgemental parenting. At just over seven minutes, this ad takes a documentary style approach, sharing personal stories off the back of finding that 95% of mums say they feel judged when it comes to parenting.
The spot is a great example of authentic storytelling. It takes a deep dive into the reasons mothers use formula milk and considers the pressures of striking a healthy work/life balance in today’s society. The captured private moments are sure to tug at the viewer’s heartstrings.
The work tackled the notoriously controversial topic of breastfeeding. Similac used real-life mothers to challenge their viewer’s perceptions of formula milk and encourage people to be empathetic towards one another.
This spot spreads positivity, showing there’s no correct way of parenting and has proved a hit with consumers. #EndMommyWars has picked up attention on with over 1.6 million views on and over 28.5K shares within the first five days of being released.
Rating: 8.5
4. Extra Gum, "the story of Sarah & Juan"
Ad agency: Energy BBDO
This romantic tale followed the journey of two people and not only tugs the heartstrings, but allows viewers to emotionally invest in their story. This long anticipated film is the follow up to advert, released over two years ago.
In just less than two minutes, the audience are shown the many difficult situations this unique couple are forced to confront. In the spot, the viewer sees their personal love story develop as Juan draws poignant moments of their relationship on Extra Gum wrappers.
At the end of the film, Sarah is presented with a gallery of Juan’s drawings. The final one depicts an image of him proposing. The video triggers the audience to think about special connections, leading to a positive association with the brand.
The video was viewed 3.3 million times in its first week and created a surge of interest with fans using the hashtag #GiveExtraGetExtra. The brand further capitalised on the campaign by rewarding fans with custom-made wrappers and created a special design for top US TV host Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia De Rossi.
Rating: 8.2
5. H&M, "modern essentials selected by David Beckham"
Ad agency: Adam & Eve/ DDB
David Beckham’s long-standing relationship with the fashion chain continues with the recent release of Modern Essentials, H&M's new range.
But this time H&M has decided to focus on the iconic footballer’s comedic talents.
The sketch features US comic Kevin Hart spending quality time with Beckham in their favourite new pieces from the collection, as Kevin prepares for his role as the sportsman in a fictitious movie of his life.
Through witty dialogue, the film takes the audience on a tongue-and-cheek journey of the football legend’s day-to-day life. It cleverly shows the diversity of the range from formal to casual clothing, while captivating audiences with a genuine piece of entertaining content.
H&M are utilising its partnership with Beckham to inject humour and personality into their campaign. Before the release, the ad was supported by A-listers on social media, with the hashtag #twins to create a buzz around the campaign.
At the time of writing, the video has garnered 4,797,789 views on YouTube and 18,280 likes.
Rating: 8
, a division of AOL Platforms, is an end-to-end video platform for brands that creates, syndicates and measures premium content and campaigns globally.