If you had to name an advert or campaign that has stood out to you recently, what would it be? From big banks to disruptor brands, businesses and their creative partners are still pouring creativity into their campaigns.

At RKH, we have a dedicated Slack channel for sharing the ads that have impressed or inspired us, and we’ve collated a few of them in this article to give the brands and agencies behind them the shine they deserve.

‘Remote’ by Max Selwood for World Mental Health Day

Not an ad for a product or a service. It’s not actually an ad for World Mental Health Day, either. But this brilliant piece by Max Selwood only needs three minutes and 51 seconds to thump home a message everyone needs to hear: check on your mates.

Even with the inkling that there’s a red herring in the video, the reveal at the end is devastating. It’s made a serious impact on social media, too, with more than 250,000 likes and 33,000 reposts on Instagram alone.

‘Get Busy Living’ by Monzo and BBH London

Although this is a couple of months old now, it’s worth talking about. Monzo’s branding has always been a step ahead of other banks, but until recently it had never launched its own global platform.

The ‘Get Busy Living’ campaign takes the focus away from money, and that’s the whole point. 10 different vignettes show people… getting busy living, while Monzo’s smart features take care of the boring financial admin. It’s technically an advert for Monzo’s Salary Sorter and Joint Accounts, but one that tells us to forget about money for a bit. Which is brave, coming from a bank.

These campaigns are great examples of the power of emotion-led marketing. Max Selwood’s short film uses a twist ending that drives home its message with absolutely no ambiguity. Monzo promotes its current account functionality by relegating money to the background and focusing on the joy of living. Project Slingshot shocks us into thought, pulling no punches in its description of the state of the Scottish salmon industry.

Each one is clear in its ambition, and they’re being talked about for the right reasons. Whether it’s for a social cause, an independent organisation, or for a globally recognised name, making us feel something can help us identify which brands share our values, and which ones are worth trusting.