The best - and worst - global ads of 2015

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The festive season is a great time to reflect on the year that was. For the ad industry, that tends to involve lists and examples of 'best of's, both to keep tired minds busy for the last few work days and provide some inspiration when those minds return to their desks in the new year, refreshed and rejuvenated. Especially as we tend to have forgotten the 'big ones' that took home all the awards throughout the year by the time December rolls around.

Fittingly, AdWeek has just released its '10 Best Ads of 2015' - while none are Africa-centric, that doesn't mean they don't offer something we can learn from, especially as many have been awarded on the international circuit for offering more than mere brain floss and actually doing good, working towards improving the world...

Click through to AdWeek's '10 Best Ads of 2015' and play them all, if office bandwidth allows.

But remember it's not always about feature-length, story-type ads. Mobile-first is Africa's advertising calling card. So with more people watching video on their phones than ever before, it's a good idea to keep an eye on what's working in this medium.

The UK's Campaign offers the following five mobile advertising gems.

2015's worst visuals

Then, on the other end of the stick we also have the 'worst ads' of the year.

Not just unfunny or too focused on pushing the brand's tagline, Business Insider has compiled a list of the 10 most complained about ads of 2015, as reported to the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau.

Each is seen as inappropriate or inoffensive by a number of people who felt so strongly that they didn't just vent their views on social media, they went so far as to lodge a formal complaint.

Click through, if you dare...

Also play the '2015 marketing wonders and blunders' selected by Variety in the US for further global insight.

Hope your curiosity is piqued for the industry innovation we're set to see in 2016!