Watch TED’s 2012 Ads Worth Spreading Winners

TED’s third cycle of “Ads Worth Spreading,” winners were tested this time around by Ace Metrix amongst U.S. consumers on a broad set of criteria including, Persuasion, Watchability and Emotional Sentiment.

“We sought out ads that were driven by ideas,” said TED Curator Chris Anderson in a press release. “At TED, we’ve seen the power of imagination and innovation. We want to reward companies that have invested in longer-form, beautifully crafted campaigns that value human attention and intelligence, and take the time to tell a thought-provoking story.”

A qualitative and quantitative view of each ad’s performance, along with insights from the creatives behind the winning ads and the nomination teams that chose them is available here.

The 2012 “Ads Worth Spreading” by category include:

Story-telling:

Prudential Day One: Linda
Brand: Prudential
Agency: Droga5 New York

Mazda: Defy Convention
Brand: Mazda
Agency: Team Cosmos/JWT Germany/Team Mazda Europe

Sharpie: Start with Sharpie
Brand: Sharpie
Agency: Draftfcb Chicago

Cultural compass:

Microsoft: Kinect Effect
Brand: Microsoft
Agency: twofifteenmccann San Francisco

Brand bravery:

Chipotle: Back to the Start (with Willie Nelson)
Brand: Chipotle
Agency: Creative Artists Agency Los Angeles

Rethink Breast Cancer: Your Man Reminder
Brand: Rethink Breast Cancer
Agency: john st. Toronto

Social Good:

Engagement Citoyen: The Return of Dictator Ben Ali
Brand: Engagement Citoyen
Agency: Memac Ogilvy Tunisia

Creative Wonder:

NTT Docomo: Xylophone
Brand: NTT Docomo
Agency: Drill Inc., Dentsu Inc. Tokyo

Canal+: The Bear
Brand: Canal+
Agency: BETC

Talk:

L’Oreal Paris: Aimee Mullins
Brand: L’Oreal Paris
Agency: R/GA New York

“Over the past two years we’ve learned that the best ads are actually more than ads – they’re excellent content driven by ideas,” said Ronda Carnegie, head of global partnerships for TED.

TED’s mission since 1984 is ‘Ideas Worth Spreading,’ in the worlds of Technology, Entertainment, Design. “We’re seeking to reverse the trends of ads being aggressively forced on users. We want to nurture ads so good you choose to watch – and share,” said Anderson.