Marklives.com selects First Kiss by Y&R Cape Town as Ad of the Year

First Kiss is a road-safety ad that brings home, in graphic detail, just why it is important for everyone, including backseat passengers, to be strapped in with seatbelts.

“The story sucks you in, as it features a likeable young man who meets a young woman at a party,” explains MarkLives advertising columnist, Oresti Patricios. “The couple hits it off and there is desire in the air. Their attempts at having a kiss are thwarted by other people and eventually it is time for the party to end. The young woman accepts a lift in the same car and they are together in the back seat. Just when they are about to sneak that first kiss, the car is involved in an accident, and at this point the mood changes from romantic to horrifying.

“The man is thrown around the car and collides with the driver and front passenger, with brutal force. Glass shards fly as the man tries to stop himself from flying through the windscreen. The shock of another impact forces him back and the slow motion ‘kiss’ as his face collides with the young woman’s face is an ironic twist to the tale. The final scene reveals that all four people in the car are dead and it was all due to the one passenger — the young man — who was not buckled up.”

This ad, with its high-impact and graphic effects, was executed by Y&R Cape Town and Jason Fialkov of Egg Films.

MarkLives top 10 ads for 2016

1. First Kiss by Y&R Cape Town for Safely Home (Western Cape Government)

2. Iziko Slave Calendar by Geometry Global Cape Town for Iziko Slave Lodge Museum
3. Twitter Refugees by NATIVE VML for PASSOP
4. Promaths by Y&R SA for Investec
5. Define Tomorrow by Net#work BBDO for Unisa
Joint 6. The Girl Who Rewrote Her Future by T+W for Absa and AfrikaTikkun
Joint 6. Social Test Drive by Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town for VW Amarok
Joint 6. #jetloveyourself by Joe Public for Jet
Joint 6. Post and Drive by DDB SA for Honda Motor Southern Africa

Joint 6. InstaGlad by DDB SA for Glad South Africa

“2016 was a chaotic year, with major social upheaval,” Oresti concludes. “The judging panel didn’t seek to reward social justice campaigns, but these were the adverts that won our best scores. In reflection, it has shown us how important crafting meaning and connection has been this past year, and how important it will be in the coming year as populism continues to polarise.”

For more information, go to www.marklives.com or view the ads on YouTube here.