Choose the Creative Works of the Year: Creative Director's Choice special featuring Mother London, DLKW Lowe, RKCR\Y&R and more

This year we've been lucky enough to have creatives from Publicis Chemistry, Droga5, RKCR/Y&R, Holler, The Leith Agency and more share their picks with us.

You can vote for your piece of work of the year featured here by clicking 'Like'. This will help us choose the reader's favourite work as chosen by creatives for the year.

Next week, the Readers' choices will also be pooled to choose the overall favourite piece of creative for 2015.

To submit work for the Creative Works round-up and subsequent Creative Department spread in The Drum magazine, contact Gillian West or Rebecca Stewart.

20th Century Fox: Taken 3 and LinkedIn ‘Particular set of skills’

Creatives: Philip Brink, Hugo van Woerden

Photographer: Remco Bikkers

Sean Kinmont, founding partner, Creative, 23red

I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” Liam Neeson’s famous quote from the film Taken was believable because his character Bryan Mills had a set of ‘skills’ that would enable him to deliver on this bad-ass promise. 20th Century Fox has used LinkedIn and its skills function to promote Taken 3.

Neeson/Mills has a profile page where he promotes the film as well as invites contestants to submit their own profile and skills and connect with his network. It’s a very clever use of an unexpected channel to promote a film.

Mother London: Ikea ‘The Joy of Storage’

Director: Dougal Wilson

Production Company: Blink

Editor: Joe Guest@Final Cut

Post production: MPC

Stephen Bell, executive creative director, Coley Porter Bell

This ad is clearly a labour of love... and a healthy budget. Following a flock of migratory T-shirts on an epic and arduous journey to find a home is a good story but what really makes this film exceptional is the beautiful observation and craft in the zoomorphism of the clothes.

You feel their pain as they shiver and cower on the freezing tundra (nice detail with the Just Chillin’ T-shirt), are frightened off by gunshot and look utterly soggy and forlorn on a damp seaside promenade. The result is David Attenborough-esque and very engaging and funny for it.

Luckily they find a happy home with Ikea storage! If anything, the end line could have ‘landed’ the whole concept a bit more... but it’s lovely and memorable work.

Wieden+Kennedy: Three ‘Surfers - #holidayspam’

Executive Creative Director: Tony Davidson, Iain Tait

Creative Director: Larry Seftel, David Day

Copywriter: Erin Swanson

Art Director: Pierre Jouffray

Producer: Lou Hake Agency

Executive Producer: Danielle Stewart

Production Company: MJZ

Director: Rocky Morton

Line Producer: Chris McBride

Director of Photography: Todd Antonio Somodevilla

Editorial Company: Final Cut

Editor: Joe Guest

Producer: Frankie Elster

VFX Company: Framestore

David Prideaux, executive creative director, Publicis Chemistry

Prepare Yourself takes a very dull and complicated mobile tariff proposition and turns it into something that’s entertaining and rewarding at every turn. This ad is really well made and gives everyone a chance to snigger at three Welsh Patrick Swayze wannabes.

Michael Buerk is an inspired choice of VO and “You don’t own the wave, the wave owns you” will be mimicked in pubs and bars all over the country. But the posters are great too, inventive art direction pulls off the difficult trick of showing dull images and making them look funny. I look forward to seeing the rest of the campaign.

DLKW Lowe: British Heart Foundation‘Conditions’

Executive Creative Director: Richard Denney, Dave Henderson

Creative: Ben Mccarthy, Seb Housden

Planner: James Dawkin, Charlie Snow

Account Team: Paul Wilde, Charlotte Wolfenden, Sam Hardy

Agency Producer: Carys Stephen

Photographer: Mark Stenning

Media Agency: PHD

Production Company: Make

Director: Isaac Bell

Adrian Burton, executive creative director, Lambie-Nairn

Words matter, they empower us. They enable us to describe and make sense of our world. However, complex words are disconcerting. They’re difficult to pronounce and their significance is simply lost on us. Things that are harder to say often have a disproportionate importance. The British Heart Foundation ad by DLKW Lowe captures this beautifully.

Heart disease comes in many forms, most of which we’d all struggle to pronounce, never mind our children. Their simple inability to pronounce what’s wrong with them perfectly reflects our own lack of understanding and inability to imagine how hard it must be to live with a serious heart condition. The ad itself is stripped bare.

There’s no music, no need for post. The format is very simple, as is the question, but the answer is exceedingly complex.

McCann London: Cannes Lions ‘Cheaper than severance’

Executive Creative director: Rob Doubal, Laurence Thomson

Creative Director: Mike Oughton

Art Director: Carl Rapp

Copywriter: Jess Mallett, Mike Oughton

Photographer: Dan Burn-Forti

Head of Art: Michael Thomason

Head of Design: Gary Todd

Typographer: Gary Todd

Retouching: Rob McDonald @Craft

Managing Partner: Tom Wong

Chief Financial Officer: Saj Manzoor

Strategist: Thomas Keane

Producer: Sophie Chapman-Andrews

Project Manager: Anna Henderson

Editor: Dan Good at Craft

Victoria Buchanan, creative director, Tribal Worldwide

There is something juicy, fresh and acid about this work. The poses, the clothes and the faces, I believe and I know them all. The story is true. It touches with my guilt, my heart, my failures, my mistakes, my successes and my prodigies.

Growing and developing talent is so important and so satisfying. We all need it and it is the best part of my job. It really doesn’t take much to inspire, stimulate, challenge and get people excited about their craft again. We all love and hate the navel-gazing Cannes Lions, but it is cheaper than severance.

RKCR\Y&R: Marks & Spencer ‘Mother’s Day’

Creative Director: Mark Roalfe

Art Director: Chris Hodgkiss

Copywriter: Pip Bishop

Board Account Director: Anna Crabtree

Account Manager: Eileen Cosgrove- Moloney

Agency Producer: Alex Shillingford

Production Company: Food Film

Director: Michael Roulier, Philippe Lhomme

Producer: Francesca O’Brien

Editor: Bruno Herlin @ Food Film, Bruce Townend @ The Quarry

Sound Design: Parv Thind @ Wave

Typographer: Tivy Jones

DOP: Michael Roulier

Music Licensing: Native

Tim Mellors, creative partner, Pointblank Productions

You don’t need to gild a lily and M&S has taken that literally, showing its Mother’s Day flowers au naturel in luscious ripe close up. The roses look proudly pristine , the orchids shyly delicate and every ranunculus is bustling with colourful self-importance.

It’s not an award scooper but it’s another brick in a cleverly built campaign that combines sharp editing with bright catchy music. The fact that they don’t mess about and tell you straight up a bunch costs a fiver sums up this ad – it sells.

Grey London: Volvo ‘Swedish Air’

Volvo - Swedish Air from Grey London on Vimeo.

Chief Creative Officer: Nils Leonard

Creative Director: Hollie Newton

Creative Team: Hollie Newton (film), Jonas Roth, Rasmus Smith Bech (inhaler)

Account Team: Cristyn Bevan, Sophie Critchley, Alex Nixon

Planner: Wiktor Skoog

Producer: Marcus Eley

Editor: Louis Tristram @ GreyWorks

Steven Bennett-Day, executive creative director at Havas EHS

What Volvo is doing right now with Grey is smart. Clean air, beautiful landscapes and a sense of authenticity – the kind of luxuries the Swedish take for granted are luckily brought viscerally to life for those of us in the rest of the world through Swedish Air. The ad is typically understated but it’s the addition of the rather well-designed inhaler that makes it something more interesting. A memorable demonstration of a strong product benefit.

But it’s Volvo’s very recent Life Paint that I find really clever. A spray for cyclists and pedestrians that is invisible by day and reflective by night. Not part of a campaign, but no less interesting for that because Volvo is taking its well-known safety heritage out of their cars, into the real world to the benefit of more than it’s drivers. A car company with a vision to increase safety for everyone – that shows a real love for humankind. Both of these are authentic innovations rooted in the brands heritage. Brilliant.

AMV BBDO: Kids Company ‘See The Child’

Creative Director: Alex Grieve, Adrian Rossi

Art Director: Andy Clough

Copywriter: Richard McGrann

Photographer: Todd Anthony

Agency Planner: Ila De Mello Kamath

Agency Account Team: James Walker Smith, James English, Francesca Warner

Agency Producers: Jaki-Jo Hannan, Alison Duquette

Project Manager: Rachel Ardmen

Agent: James Wyatt-Clarke

Design: Mario Kerkstra

Artworking and Repro: Peter Goldsworthy, Jon Banks, Russell Deamer, Mike Whipps

Martin Grimer, executive creative director, Aesop Agency

AMV BBDO’s ‘See the Child’ campaign for Kids Co stood out for me. Smart, simple and well executed, this campaign leaves the audience with a clear and evocative call to action – sign the petition and you could help save a child from abuse.

It’s a wonderfully straightforward idea, reflecting the ease of contributing, yet it manages to leave just enough to reward the audience for closing the loop by themselves. A great example of visual storytelling – ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. We rarely see such purity of thought and execution in advertising these days – it’s a pleasure to see it here.

BBDO NY: Foot Locker ‘It’s Really Happening’

Chief Creative Officer, worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Chris Beresford-Hill, Dan Lucey

Copywriter: Mike Motch

Art Director: Austin Mankey

Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe

Executive Producer: Anthony Curti

Worldwide Senior Account Director: Troy Tarwater

Account Director: Janelle Van Wonderen

Account Manager: Nick Robbins

Account Executive: Samuel Henderson

Production Company: O Positive Films

Director: Kenny Herzog

Executive producer: Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill

Line Producer: Grayson Bithell

Director of Photography: Marc Laliberte

Editorial: MackCut

Editor: Erik Laroi

Executive Producer: Sasha Hirshfeld

Assistant Editor: Patrick Blumer

Ryan Carroll, group creative director, GSD&M

After shelling out $100 to watch the over-hyped Mayweather v Pacquiao fight, I was reminded why I hate boxing. But after seeing this Foot Locker spot again, I was reminded why I love advertising. Wait a second.

Did watching this hysterical Foot Locker commercial contribute to me spending $100 to watch two men hug each other for 12 rounds instead of delivering the fight of the century like we were all promised? No, it couldn’t. It’s just a superbly written and wonderfully executed spot that perfectly played off the cultural moment that had been building to a fever pitch these past few weeks.

But wait, did the brilliant strategy of playing off that cultural moment and thereby adding to that fever pitch help persuade me to order a payper- view fight for the first time since Tyson got out of prison? No, it couldn’t. It’s just a funny commercial that made you laugh and had zero effect on your decision making abilities. Wait a second. Whenever The Drum asks you to pick your favourite piece of work for the month, don’t you always end up picking the funniest commercial? I’m so confused.

4Creative: Channel 4 ‘Persona Synthetics’

Executive Creative Director: Chris Bovill, John Allison

Creatives: Keith McCarthy, Alice Tonge, Matt Fee

Director: Keith McCarthy

Business Director: Nik Windsor

Producer: Fiona Wright

Group Marketing Manager: Laura Ward

Marketing Manager: Lauren Holness

DOP: Ula Pontikos @ Lux Artists

Production Design: Simon Davis

Editor: Tim Hardy @ Stitch

Sound Design: Chris Southwell @ Unit

Music Composition: Altitude Music

Telecine: George K @ MPC

VFX: The Flying Colour Company & MPC Online: Unit TV

Jason Andrews, executive creative director, Rapp

Freaky stuff, this. An ad for a synthetic human so close to being reality that you can’t help diving into Google to find out for certain. Check out those eerily alive/dead eyes. That on/off switch smile. Surely they’re not really marketing actual replicants are they… are they? Of course not.

It’s a brilliant ruse. But from an advertising point of view, it’s a genius way to sell a TV show. Imagine the jump in search traffic for ‘Persona Synthetics’ when this ad is on air. It’s creepy and intriguing all at once – which will fuel all the right social conversations around the issues raised byChannel 4’s new series, Humans.

Online, the deception evolves with a pharmaceutically cold website and an officially written Twitter feed. And in the real world, there are fake billboards around the ‘forthcoming’ Persona Synth store on Regent Street. All clever, po-faced stuff. Whatever the future might really hold for us all, this ad will definitely put ‘Humans’ on the British viewing public’s must-watch list for the next few weeks.

DDB Argentina: Fath (Fundación Argentina de Transplante Hepático) ‘The Man and the Dog’

Creative Vice-President: Hernán Juaregui

Executive Creative Director: Beto Cocito

Agency Executive Producer: Diane Jackson

Account Director: Daniela Tucci

Creative Manager: Pablo Banchieri

Production Company: Central Films North

Director: Rodrigo Garcia Saiz

Executive Producer: John Barreiro

Conceptualiser: Leandro Custo

Production Service Company/Co-Producer: Rebolucion Argentina

Rebolucion Ep: Patricio Alvarez Casado

Post Production: The Whitehouse Chicago

Post Executive Producer: Kristin Branstetter @ The Whitehouse

Post Producer: Caitlin Morris @ The Whitehouse

Editor: Matthew Wood

Assistant Editor: Caleb Helper

Post Production: The Mill

Post Executive Producer: Andrew Sommerville @ The Mill

Post Producer: Samantha Letzler @ The Mill

Colorist: Luke Morrison

Lead 2D Artist: Randy McEntee

2D Artists: Michael Sarabia, Jonathan Freeman

Audio Engineer: Nicholas Papaleo

Casey Rand, creative director, Droga5

This spot features two of my favourite things: dogs and twist endings. I love how simple the storytelling is – a classic tale of man’s best friend, turned on its head. I love how one short phrase makes sense of everything at the end. And I love the acting chops on that dog. What a pro.

Beyond all that, I also appreciate the refreshing take on a subject that’s often communicated in depressing and dramatic ways. You can’t talk about organ donation without talking about death, and that can get morbid fast. This went at it in a truly unique way that left me feeling okay about The Man’s death. Either that or I’m a cold-hearted female dog. Here’s hoping it’s the first one.

Grey London: HSBC ‘Lift’

HSBC - Lift from Grey London on Vimeo.

Creative Director: Nick Rowland

Art Director: Miguel Gonzales

Copywriter: Jamie Starbuck, They Bayani

Account Team: Barbara White, Alex Clarke

Agency Producer: Harriette Larder

Media Agency: Mindshare

Media Planner: Edward Fall

Production Company: Independent Films

Director: Gary Freedman, The Glue Society

Executive Producer: Jani Guest

Producer: Jason Kemp

Director of Production: Stephane Fontaine

Editor: Adam Spivey

Post Production: Tom Johnson @ The Mill

Soundtrack Composer: Yann Tiersen

Audio Post Production: Sam Robson @ 750mph

Nick Hastings, creative director and co-founder, Krow Communications

After the films Buried and Locke, big stories set in small spaces are becoming something of a genre, and an engaging one at that. In this HSBC commercial the director wrings out a breadth of emotions far greater than the claustrophobic dimensions of a lift. That’s largely down to the casting and handling of the central character. It’s hard to like a successful guy in a bank commercial but instead of wanting the lift to plummet out of control towards the basement, I ended up rooting for him.

This film is peppered with nice touches, like at the beginning when the entrepreneur’s PA carries up the mandatory startup potted plant, without which all new companies are destined to fail. The wardrobe and hairstyles are pretty much bang on, but top marks should be reserved for the prosthetics department. Somehow our hero changes over 40 years from ingénue to eminence grise without once looking like an extra from Lord of the Rings. Although, whether anyone will believe that a bank actually cares about its business is an issue that one commercial cannot address, even when it’s as well done as this one.

Deutsch: Krylon ‘Bike,’ ‘Chair,’ and ‘Watering Can’

Chief Creative Officer: Kerry Keenan

Executive Creative Director: Menno Kluin, Matt McKay

Associate Creative Director: Sam Shepherd, Frank Cartagena

Copywriter: Kevin Meagher

Director of Integrated Production: Joe Calabrese

Executive Producer: Shane Smith

Digital Design Lead: Aliza Adam

Digital Designer: Siri Wanpen

Project Manager: Sean Gilleylen

James Robinson, executive creative director, The Martin Agency New York

Ordinarily, this is not the kind of idea I would go for. The story of a family conning their gullible yet penny-pinching neighbour at a yard sale would seem like a one off joke that would get stale with the retelling. But in fact, the opposite is true.

These spots get funnier because it is the same joke told over and over and they are even better when viewed as a series. Just how many times can the world’s most duplicitous suburban family get away with the same trick? How many times will Herb’s avarice override his common sense? And just what else is in that fanny-pack? Truly offbeat casting, oddly whispered product benefits and an endearingly strange end-treatment all add up to a campaign that stayed with me longer than I expected. Nice, unexpected work from a category that isn’t exactly known for comedy commercials. I look forward to the next instalment.

Adam&Eve DDB: Harvey Nichols ‘Love Freebies’

Chief Creative Officer: Ben Priest

Executive Creative Director: Ben Tollett, Richard Brim

Art Director: Colin Booth

Copywriter: Ben Stilitz

Head of Design: Paul Knowles

Alex Kemp, creative director, Kameleon

This is one of my favourite campaigns of the year so far. The upcycling of the CCTV footage, giving it new life is awesome. I found myself captivated by these dumb shoplifting characters, and I wanted to see how each storyline would play out. I also like the animation style – it really captures each character in a playful way. The little smiles and raised eyebrows are brilliantly confident. The music and sound design stands out too; the grimey soundtrack from Wiley gives it a dirty music video quality.

Ogilvy & Mather: Kronenbourg 1664 ‘Le Big Swim’

Creative Director: Gerry Human

Art Director: Miguel Nunes

Copywriter: Simon Lotze

Agency producer: Ruth Darsow

Will Pyne, global executive creative director, Holler

Actor, footballer, kung fu practitioner... It’s easy to see why a lager brand would want enigmatic King Eric as its ambassador. So with the talent box ticked, what else has it got? The tongue-in-cheek tone of voice is spot on, and it’s a nice build on the last Kronenbourg job featuring the mercurial Frenchman.

Execution is strong with excellent attention to detail – the wetsuit collar flip being the funniest example. The tease film was exactly what it needed to be; a tease, and the subsequent rug pull a good one. To use an oft-quoted Ericism, this most definitely isn’t a ‘bag of shit’. More ‘Ooh aah Cantona’.

BBH New York: Seamless ‘How New York Eats’

Creative Chairman: John Patroulis

Chief Creative Officer: Ari Weiss

Executive Creative Director: Gerard Caputo

Creatives: Daniel Bonder, Dave Brown, Jean Morrow, Geno Burmester, Even Benedetto, Daniel Burke, Mikio Bradley, Klara Lindberg

Denny Hebson, executive creative director, SCC

So many smart choices were made with this snarky, funny ad. How easy would it have been to rely on beautiful food shots or breadth of offerings? But Seamless and BBH realised the biggest opportunity to drive online takeout orders is to remind people of just how much it sucks to cook at home in New York City (as well as have some fun with gratuitous shots at Jersey City and Westchester). This is a campaign that both nails the experience of New Yorkers and celebrates the delightful shortcomings of being a part of the greatest city in the world. Tasty stuff.

Leo Burnett London: NSPCC ‘Alfie the Astronaut’

Executive Creative Director: Justin Tindall

Creative Director: Beri Cheetham

Creative Team: Matt Lee, Pete Heyes

Agency TV Producer: Hannah Boase

Production Company: Knucklehead

Director: Chris Hewitt

Producer: Matthew Brown

Director of Photography: Chayse Irvin

Mark Roalfe, creative director, RKCR/Y&R

I really like the new NSPCC ad featuring Alfie and Astronaut. I caught it on air the other week and I have to say I found it totally engaging. It has a freshness to it in what is a category that had some great work over the years. The ad doesn’t use the shock tactics of many of its predecessors but is a very charming heart-warming story that’s been very nicely written and directed. Well done to all concerned.

Barton F Graf: BAI ‘El Guapo’ ‘Twins’ & ‘Marriage’

Chief Creative Officer: Gerry Graf

Executive Creative Director: Ian Reichenthal

Copywriter/Art Director: Mark Bielik, Ross Fletcher

Gerard Caputo, executive creative director, BBH NY

Bai wants everyone to know it’s a drink that only has five calories, is good for you and tastes amazing, so it made perfect sense it went to Barton F Graf for these funny spots that deliver a ton of information about the product and entertain as well. No one really does it better or makes it look as fun.

Mother London: Ikea 'Come Home to Play'

VFX Company: MPC

VFX Producer: Jakub Chilczuk

3D/Motion Design: Tom Robinson, Steven Ross

2D: Rod Norman

Colorist: Richard Fearon

Sound studio: 750mph

Editing: The Whitehouse

Phil Evans and Troy Farnworth, creative director, The Leith Agency

'Playin’ With My Friends' was a tough act to follow but hats off to Mother, IKEA and MPC for ‘Come Home To Play’. The mix of 2D, 3D and live action grabs you from the get go. And the character and sound design – so wonderfully off-kilter – feels so on-brand. It’s like entering a five-year-old’s head after too many cola bottles. Love it. (PS. Extra bonus points for the bat, he’s ace.)

Droga5: Air Wick 'Give the Gift of Home'

Creative Chairman: David Droga

Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer

Group Creative Director: Tim Gordon

Group Creative Director: Nick Klinkert

Copywriter: Craig Gerringer

Art Director: Conner Tobiason

Copywriter: Nic Bauman

Art Director: Sean Park

Logan Wilmont, executive creative director, Doner

Christmas, it’s our Super Bowl, when everyone gets actively involved in our business. Slagging off John Lewis, loving Lidl, torn about Jeff Goldblum… The bar is high and the expectations are higher.

But in the US something else is happening. The ‘Holidays’ (never Christmas) seems to be the season for tired clichés. From painfully schmaltzy Macy’s, to desperately old fashioned Barnes and Noble (even with Lady Gaga). And with some very famous advertisers like Hallmark, Fed Ex, Honda and Office Depot just being downright annoying.

But thankfully there were a couple of exceptions. A lovely campaign for Air Wick (yes, Air Wick) which manages to find some genuine emotional connection. A funny idea for Stove Top where a hipster pilgrim father tries to encourage us to have turkey stuffing all year round. And ‘Wonderfilled’, a beautifully executed social media idea from Oreo is just, well, wonderful.

Overall it makes me feel good about the Christmas (oops) work here in the UK, or perhaps all the US creative effort is going into the actual Super Bowl in February. Time will tell. Happy Holidays.

AMV BBDO: Curry's PC World 'Spare the Act'

Creative Director: Alex Grieve and Adrian Rossi

Copywriter: Mike Sutherland

Art Director: Antony Nelson

Dave Weist, executive creative director, MullenLowe

Maybe this is some kind of dysfunction, but I never love the one I’m supposed to — in this case, an amazingly well-done Spanish Christmas Lottery spot that really is a small work of advertising art.

However, when I saw the Currys PC World spots with Jeff Goldblum, my heart spoke and my brain listened. First of all, Jeff Goldblum. Say no more. Plus, this was genuinely funny, very smartly written and had a great platform thought that could go on forever: spare the act this Christmas.

Thanks, Jeff Goldblum and AMV BBDO, for a dash of unexpected holiday silliness.