TED has challenged (and complimented) the advertising industry for the third year in a row by identifying 10 TV ads deemed worthy of being promoted as “Ads worth spreading.” “Ads Worth Spreading is TED’s initiative to recognize and reward innovation, ingenuity and intelligence in advertising — the ads that people want to see, and share with their friends.” During this pause between the Super Bowl advertising frenzy and another new season of Mad Men 1960’s advertising excess, it feels like a good time to examine the premise that there is such a thing as “Ads Worth Spreading.”

The Goal

Ted’s goal for the Ads Worth Spreading initiative is lofty.

TED_AdsWorthSpreading Goal

A Few Observations

  • Length. Forget the standard 15- or 30-second spot. These ads are all 1-minute plus in length. (Personally, I would cut the length of a few.)
  • International. U.S.-based agencies or brands do not dominate the winner’s list.
  • Storytelling. Although storytelling is not explicitly included as winner’s category, it is a characteristic noticeably common among the winners. The six categories were: Talk, Social Good, Creative Wonder, Cultural Compass, Brand Bravery, and Education. See if you can tell which is which.

The 2013 Winners

Here are the 2013 winners of the Ads Worth Sharing challenge. What do you think? Has the standard been met? Which ads will you share?