I think an example of a video ad campaign done well is Samsung's "Perfect Day." Simple, because it hits all the right emotes.
The ad begins as the singer narrates "With your feet in the air and your head on the ground," a ridiculously well-placed line to trigger the kind of "new" you're about to feel. And then a camera follows some young teens as they romp through the city with all the latest tech. Enabled by Samsung of course.
VR amazes a passer-by, letting young and old generations connect. A young teen buys a bottle of water with her phone. A 360-degree camera with a built-in stand lets them record memories as they tear up a skate park...
"I was swimming in the Caribbean," the singer now narrates as four of the teens are seen diving into pool water at once, and when they pop up, they have their waterproof phone, ready to relive some of the rad moves from the skate park. One of the teens catches the eye of another, and now technology enables the always-awkward teenage friendship thing, as a new companion joins the group.
The sun is setting and mom checks in, which one of the teens can easily pick up and acknowledge thanks to his smart watch. "Love you, mom," says the teen as he joins a chorus of "Love you Mom" by all the other teens. Alas, it's time to go home.
"Where is my mind," the narrator sings as he haunts one final scene. "Hey guys," yells one of the teens, and they quickly huddle for a selfie that you can almost see one of them sharing 20 years from that day on whatever social media platforming is connecting them by then. (It can't be Facebook, that's for old folk.)
The common thread in this feel-good is the Samsung technology of course, which enabled the teens to enhance their life experience.
I was one of these youth once, riding my bike over the streets of Miami, looking for adventure. But there was no connecting to another generation, no easy pay, no way to capture memories quickly (we couldn't afford a camcorder, which I remember costing in the $1000 range because I would beg my parents to buy one). There might have been a pool, but pimples prevailed in wooing others. There might have been a check-in by mom, but there were no cell phones at the time (not readily available, anyway). And our good byes are only etched in our memories, as even if we had had a Kodak disposable, the effort it would take to develop and safe keep was not something I could reliably do as a teen.
It was beautiful and perfect. A perfect day.
Some other impressive things about the video, beyond to emotes:
I think the fact that Samsung didn't push their brand to the fore, choosing instead to be subtle, works well. The message is clear - we live in a remarkably enabled world ("feet in the air, head on the ground...") and many companies out there can give you piece of it, but only Samsung can give you everything highlighted.
The ad structure lends itself to be cut up and edited quickly to highlight any one of the many examples, for smaller ad spaces. I think the ad works best in its entirety, but showing parts throughout a show can help drive in the concept over a series of similar but different ads.
Lastly, the music is fantastic. Pixies' "Where Is My Mind" performed by Nada Surf was a genius soundtrack. Its eerie sound and relevant lyrics was able to bring about some extra beauty and emotion out of the story being played out.
Well played, Samsung. Well. Played.
