Video is a powerful medium, and this makes it the perfect marketing tool

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, video marketing is a crowded industry. We all know that. But we also can’t avoid it. Video ads work, and that is why all smart brands are making them and using them at the forefront of their marketing campaigns.
Although we can’t escape the crowded nature of the video marketing industry, we can make sure that we stand out from the crowd by creating jaw-dropping, “OMG what just happened?“, astounding, “Have you seen this?!“, unforgettable video ads.

Obviously, creating a video ad that is intended to ‘rock the boat’ is a risk, and it’s a risk that doesn’t always work (as Pepsi will probably tell you right now!). But when shocking video ads work, they really work. If you try to recall an ad on the spot, you’re most likely going to remember one that did one or more of the following things: 

1. Had a really annoying (but super catchy!) jingle
2. Gave you an emotional reaction
3. Shocked you

And let’s face it, points two and three are pretty much the same. So, for inspirational purposes, here are 10 of the most SHOCKING video ads…and why they worked!

Disclaimer: I am one, tiny, irrelevant person on this very crowded planet. The opinions in this article are mine, and mine alone. They might not match up with yours – but that’s okay! If you want to share a shocking video that you think I missed from this list then please do, I’d love to check it out!

Okay, let’s get to it…

1. Most Shocking Second a Day Video by Save the Children

I can’t sum up this video better than its call to action at the end:

This video ad, that shows what life would be like for a little girl called Lily if London was Syria, is possibly the most thought-provoking video I have ever seen.

At the time it was released, ‘second a day’ videos were really popular on YouTube, and the director, Martin Stirling, used this to his advantage when creating the ad. According to Stirling, Save the Children wanted to “make something which would resonate on a global stage which felt contemporary and relevant to modern audiences.”

Seeing the terrible events that child refugees go through every day presented via a medium that is relatable to our society is what really worked for this shocking video ad.

The ad gained viral success, clocking up 21 million views in the first 5 days. The success was also recognised through many awards and the video became the first non-profit ad to be named the most popular advertisement of the month on YouTube.

The video was so successful that the charity created a follow-up video:

As well as being a video marketing feat, the advertisements also achieved what they were designed to do. Save the Children saw a 25% uplift in regular gifts towards the Syrian refugee crisis, and the charity also saw a huge peak in engagement across all of its social media channels.

2. Dumb Ways to Die by Metro Trains

This adorable, hilarious video packs a punch with its shocking message at the end. This video was created by Metro Trains as a way to connect with the youth in Melbourne, Australia who exhibited absent-minded and foolish behaviour around trains.

Metro Trains worked hard to make the ad seem like it, well…wasn’t an ad. And that hard work paid off as Dumb Ways to Die is now the most shared public service announcement in history!

On top of that, the video has been viewed over 100 million times, the song reached the Top 10 on the iTunes chart, and, most importantly, the ad resulted in a 21% reduction in railway accidents and deaths.

3. Break the Cycle by Barnado’s

This shocking video ad contains scenes of child abuse, crime, and drug-use. It’s because of this that it received over 800 complaints to the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority). The hard-hitting ad escaped a ban because the ASA concluded that the aim of the ad justified the use of such strong imagery.

This powerful ad, which was the first venture into video marketing for Barnardo’s, is possibly the most difficult one on the list to watch, but it worked because it raised some much needed awareness for a great charity.

4. Heimkommen by Edeka

This Christmas video ad by German Supermarket Edeka split audiences across the globe. The video, which depicts an old man faking his death just so that his family will visit on Christmas, made some people sob:

Some people laugh:

While others were left outraged:

Despite the conflicting reactions, this ad did what all great ads set out to do: it got people talking. As a result, the video has been viewed over 55 million times on YouTube, surpassing the always anticipated John Lewis and Sainsbury’s Christmas ads.

5. Bangfit

This one is definitely NSFW. Bangfit is an explainer video by PornHub for their new “sexercise” gaming app of the same name. It’s quite shocking to see a video ad by a porn company in the first place, but when you team that with the fact that this video is animated, the shock factor is amped up even further.

Animation is an interesting choice. It makes the video more attention-grabbing and not as lewd as it could be if actors were used. It also shows viewers who might be in the market for an explainer video for their business (porn or not) what is achievable.

The video shocks viewers even further by suggesting that they share their activity on social media, like they would any other fitness routine:

This shock tactic worked for Bangfit. The app has been written about in over 600 articles in 47 different countries! And it also began trending on Facebook even though Pornhub is actually banned from the social media site.

6. The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking

This video by the Nike Foundation presents, in a simple and easy to digest way, the reality for many young girls living in poverty. The video mixes hard-hitting facts with disturbing images, like the following…

…to get their powerful message across. The video has won many awards, such as TED’s Top Ten Ads Worth Spreading. However, it has also sparked controversy for only focusing on improving the wellbeing of girls in poverty, not boys. When asked about this, CEO Maria Eitel had this to say:

“We definitely want to see men and boys understanding that the girl effect is about everyone. The World Bank is about to put out a study that talks about the opportunity cost of not investing in a girl. So it turns out if girls in Nigeria could finish secondary school they’d add 40 billion dollars to their national economy over their lifetimes. And if young women in Paraguay had jobless rates similar to those of young men, annual GDP growth rates would be 3.3 percentage points higher.

Numbers like these pop up all over the world and they tell us when girls are excluded, we all lose. If we’re interested in global economic growth then all of the male business and government leaders need to get behind the girl effect, and so do all of the fathers, brothers and male teachers in all of the world’s communities.”

7. Act on CO2

So far on this list we’ve seen ads depicting child abuse, fake deaths and even porn, but you may be surprised to know that the ad that came closest to becoming banned was one about climate change!

The video uses a fairytale-style narrative to explain the dangers of climate change for future generations. The use of a worried looking child in the video provoked a strong reaction in viewers who complained to the ASA. But the video was one of the only ads not to be banned from the government’s “Act on CO2” initiative.

Ultimately, this ad brought more publicity to the Act on CO2 initiative and provoked thought in viewers by ending on the question: Is there a happy ending?

8. #LikeAGirl

This video by Always starts off light-hearted enough. An off-camera director asks actors to perform actions “Like a Girl” and then the same is asked of young girls. It’s then that the shock-factor appears: girls grow up with the idea that “Like a girl” is an insult, and they usually discover this when they are going through puberty – in other words, when they are feeling their most insecure.

This video ad very cleverly changes the perception of the phrase “Like a girl” for the actors in the ad and also the viewers at the same time. This thought-provoking idea created amazing results for Always with the phrase #LikeAGirl being tweeted 177,000 times in the first three months and purchase intent increasing by 50%!

This shows that you don’t need to be a charity to create a video with a shocking message. With the right focus, a shocking ad campaign can work wonders for any brand’s marketing strategy.

9. Chipotle: Back to the Start

This video will strike a cord with anyone who has an interest in animal welfare. The video ad uses visceral imagery of animals being pumped full of medicine and then squished into squares of meat before being transported into trucks, to hold a mirror up to the world of farming.

The shocking imagery mixed with the haunting soundtrack is enough to give you chills and, because of this, the viral video ignited an international conversation and even resulted in McDonald’s announcing plans to phase out inhumane pig crates just one day after the video aired.

10. Santa Forgot from Alzheimer’s UK

Similar to the Most Shocking Second a Day video, this animated ad by Alzheimer’s UK takes an issue that needs more exposure and applies it to a popular part of our culture (in this case, Christmas) to make it relevant and get people talking.

The video, told with a fairytale-type voiceover, definitely pulls at the heart strings. The sensitive nature of the video caused the ASA to receive some complaints from shocked parents that considered the ad damaging for children. However, with the advert only being broadcast after 7:30 p.m. (at a time when young children are unlikely to be watching), the ASA found that the video was not breaking the UK’s advertising code.

The two minute video moved me enough to donate £5 the very second it finished, and then I was compelled to share the video on my social media pages straight after that. Apparently I wasn’t alone, as the campaign raised £55,000 overall!

The great thing about this list of shocking videos is that they are each shocking in their own way. Some make you cry, some make you laugh, some make you simply stop and think, and others provoke action.

So, why did we show you these videos?

To take you on an emotional rollercoaster? No. To show you that videos CAN make a difference. YOUR video can make a difference. You just need a stellar storyline, beautiful iconography, and a little bit of a shock factor.

To talk more about video and how it can work for your brand, get in touch with one of our friendly account managers today!

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