1. John Lewis 'the long wait' by Adam & Eve
Diehard fans of The Smiths were not amused, but their ire only served to earn this spot more column inches. The extremely emotional reaction from the rest of the public to this tooth-achingly sweet ad was the stuff of dreams for any advertiser and a déjà vu for John Lewis.
Agency: Adam & Eve
Writer/art director: Matt Gay, John Long
Director: Dougal Wilson
Production company: Blink Productions
2. Stella 'apartomatic' by Mother
It's a classic tale of boy meets girl, boy brings girl back to his flat, girl gets swallowed up by the sofa, boy has a beer. This ad, which is slickly directed by the Hollywood heavyweights Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, epitomises Stella's cheeky take on 60s sophistication. A joy to watch from start to finish, its UK launch this year got rave reviews.
Agency: Mother
Writer/art director: Mother
Directors: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Production company: Moxie Pictures
3. Cravendale 'cats with thumbs' by Wieden & Kennedy
Another year, another brilliant ad with cats in it. This time peddling milk rather than flat-pack furniture. Wieden & Kennedy has a knack for doing crackpot work for Cravendale. This spot keeps up the silliness: the cats have opposable thumbs to get up to all sorts of trouble with.
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Writer/art director: Sam Heath, Chris Groom
Director: Ulf Johansson
Production company: Smith and Jones
4. Pot Noodle 'wag' by Mother
A Geordie WAG with stubble demonstrates just how much of a doddle 'her' life is. Mother at its comedic best, with as many sight gags as can be packed into 30 seconds. You may want to cover your eyes for the spray-tan scene.
Agency: Mother
Writer/art director: Mother
Director: Rosey
Production company" @radical.media
5. Barnardos 'life story' by BBH
It's worth seeking out the full version of this spot, which pulls the viewer directly into a troubled life transformed by Barnardo's. If you feel no emotion for the small boy at the end, you have a heart of tin.
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Writer/ art director: Mel Lynch, Rory Hall
Director: Ringan Ledwidge
Production company: Rattling Stick
6. Weetabix 'fuel for big days' by BBH
It's Westlife meets Farming Life in this comical offering. The dairy brand's "farmers" took over The X Factor ad break once again and this boy band pastiche was the clear winner ( against Müller) in the battle of the yoghurts. We wonder how they'll top it next year.
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Writer/ art director: Jonny Durgan, Martin Reed
Director: Jonathan Hopkins
Production company: Pulse Films
7. Yeo Valley 'boy band' by BBH
It's Westlife meets Farming Life in this comical offering. The dairy brand's "farmers" took over The X Factor ad break once again and this boy band pastiche was the clear winner (against Müller) in the battle of the yoghurts. We wonder how they'll top it next year.
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Writer/art director: Jonny Durgan, Martin Reed
Director: Jonathan Hopkins
Production company: Pulse Films
8. Thomson Holidays 'quality time' by BMB
Ads from holiday companies are often brash enough to make you never want to set foot in an airport. But this beautifully executed film surprised everyone by capturing what it actually feels like to spend some downtime with your loved ones.
Agency: Beattie McGuinness Bungay
Writer: Gavin McGrath
Art director: Stephen Reed
Director: Martin de Thurah
Production company: Academy
9. Walls 'thank you, kitchen' by Saatchi & Saatchi
It's a bit left-field for a sausage brand. An ad that sets out to capture the internal struggle faced by the unreconstructed male - a complete inability to articulate his feelings. A tiny dog in a box does a very good impersonation of Andy McLeod in this McLeod-directed spot.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Writer: Dan Warner
Art director: Andy Vasey
Director: Andy McLeod
Production company: Rattling Stick
10. Lucozade 'yes' by Grey London
Lucozade had been restricted to roaming hospital corridors before Tinie Tempah and friends gave it some hand-me-down coolness. Boxing, drumming and rapping all converge in this film to result in one big blast of energy - cue a bottle of the fizzy stuff.
Agency: Grey London
Writer/art director: Grey London
Director: Jake Nava
Production company: Cherry Films
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