The world's best TV commercials 2017
This year's winners of the Clio Awards, the advertising industry's top honors, have been announced, with prizes given in all areas of print, TV, radio, digital, direct, and other media for advertising, marketing and branding campaigns around the world.
The recognized commercials (both product advertisements and public service announcements, or PSAs) offer some of the most creative storytelling, compelling imagery, humor and heart-tugging moments you're likely to see.
Click through this gallery to sample a selection of this year's commercial winners in the gold, silver and bronze categories.
United States
Jose Cuervo: "Last Days"
Gold Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
For the barflies at Charlie's, an Elvis song on the jukebox and some Jose Cuervo mean that, as the End of Days arrives, it's now or never. Agency: CP+B.
United Kingdom
AA Charity Trust: "Designated Driver"
Gold Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
There is a nifty twist in this PSA about drunk driving and the even more pervasive threat of driving while texting. Agency: adam&eveDDB.
France
Burns & Smiles Foundation: "Halloween"
Gold Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
"It's not easy leaving the house like this," says a burn victim, whose appearance would not be out of place in a horror film. The French non-profit Burns & Smiles, which seeks to heighten the general public's awareness of the difficulties facing burn victims, produced this touching short film in which the badly-scarred man, dressed as a dapper ghoul, leaves his home on Halloween to open arms, delightedly experiencing a warm acceptance from the public he never feels the other 364 days in the year. Agency: TBWA\Paris.
United States
Samsung: "Ostrich"
Gold Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
A virtual reality headset is all it takes to help an ostrich realize its true potential. Agency: Leo Burnett.
Germany
European Anti-Bullying Network: "Escalating GIFs Against Bullying"
Gold Winner, Commercial (under 30 seconds)
Produced in the style of animated GIFs, this series of short PSAs shows the escalating cruelty of teen bullying and how quickly such venomous behavior - particularly actions promulgated via social media - can ratchet up from mocking to violence. Agency: Ogilvy Germany.
France
Lacoste: "Timeless"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
The heart knows what it wants. This ad, a sweeping romance of two souls who bump into each other (literally), only to chase one another across generations, features exceptional photography and gorgeous music - not to mention two very appealing people sporting Lacoste fashions. Agency: BETC
Below: Watch a "Making of" video from visual effects house Mikros:
United Kingdom
John Lewis: "Buster the Boxer"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
British retailer John Lewis' Christmas commercial may not sell a lot of trampolines, but it will warm a lot of hearts. Agency: adam&eveDDB.
United States
Donate Life: "The World's Biggest *sshole"
Gold Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
If not NSFW, at least NSFLKWRFL (Not Safe For Little Kids Who Repeat Foul Language), this hilarious PSA proves that even those for whom kindness and generosity are as far afield as Mars can make the world a little bit better with extremely little effort on their part - simply by ticking the organ donor box on their driver's license. Agency: The Martin Agency.
Sweden
Ikea: "Every Other Week"
Gold Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
Anyone who has ever used an Allen wrench to assemble a Tarva or a Malm can relate to this Ikea ad, and probably guess the payoff way ahead of the reveal. But it's still an emotional take on shared custody. Agency: Akestam Holst NoA.
Germany
Volkswagen: "Laughing Horses"
Gold Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
Those who attempt to park without the Volkswagen Tiguan's Precision Parking with optional Trailer Assist deserve whatever ribbing they get from the horses who witness such foolhardiness. Agency: Grabarz & Partner Werbeagentur GmbH.
France
David Lynch Foundation: "Sounds of Trauma"
Silver Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
This PSA not only brings attention to the harm that veterans suffering from PTSD may experience back in the civilian world through noises, but also serves as an intriguing treatise on film language - merging disparate images and sounds to create the pretense of a reality we think we recognize. Agency: Herezie Group.
Thailand
Verena: "Capture"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
Anthropomorphizing fatty and oily foods, this Thai ad for the dietary supplement Sure presents its product as a police roadblock to things that should not pass. Agency: McCann Worldgroup.
United Kingdom
Volkswagen: "The Button"
Silver Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
Movie villains and their propensity to project power through the push of a button get a ribbing in this delightful ad for Volkswagen's Golf GTE hybrid. Agency: adam&eveDDB.
Egypt
Coca-Cola: "The Line Up Song"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
Prepare for a fun earworm. Coke decided to introduce its Egyptian audience to the nation's football team with a catchy song set to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." So why is it sung by non-footballers hanging out in a ping pong hall, swigging Cokes, without showing the players or even mentioning the upcoming African Cup? Because Pepsi is the official sponsor of the Egyptian football team.
The hijacking ploy worked: Coke's song became a viral sensation, scoring about a half-million plays on Facebook in the first few hours, and was the number-one tune on streaming app Anghami. Agency: FP7/CAI.
United States
Snickers: "Recovery Room"
Silver Winner, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
"You're careless when you're hungry" is the tagline for this candy bar ad. At least abdominal smartphones aren't a pre-existing condition. Agency: BBDO New York
United Kingdom
The National Lottery: "Let's Not Be Blunt"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
Props to singer James Blunt ("You're Beautiful"), who participated in this self-mocking ad for Britain's National Lottery. Hopefully your ideas about how to spend your millions should you win are less intrusive than his. Agency: AMVBBDO & Biscuit Filmworks.
Netherlands
Heineken: "Jackie"
Silver Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
Legendary driver Jackie Stewart was a hero to race fans, and is so still, as he politely refuses a drink before driving, over and over again. Agency: Heineken International BV.
Japan
Gravity Daze 2: "Gravity Cat"
Bronze Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
There are some remarkable special effects in this ad for the video game Gravity Daze 2, in which an inquisitive kitten and two girls suddenly learn that the laws of gravity are made to be broken. Agency: Hakuhodo Inc.
Watch a "Making of" video here:
Mexico
Mini: "Air Traffic Controller"
Bronze Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
Shame on you, Roberto, even if your indiscretions don't distract an air traffic controller from her work. Selling precision, the automaker Mini presents a scenario that has nothing to do with driving, and everything to do with alleviating worry from a driver. Agency: Publicis Mexico.
United States
CoorDown: "Not Special Needs"
Bronze Winner, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
So many of this year's winning commercials are public service ads that are aimed at changing behavior - through humor or a splash of cold water. This spot challenges the idea that people with Down's Syndrome, commonly referred to as "special needs," really don't have needs all that special from everyone else. Agency: Publicis New York.
Austria
Haus Konstruktiv: "Second Chance"
Short List, Commercial (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds)
Among the runners-up of ads this year is a cute take on modern art for a Zurich museum. It's also a clever reminder that true creatives delight in forcing square pegs into round holes. Agency: Ruf Lanz.
Argentina
Volkswagen Golf GTI: "Fast Film - Slow Motion"
Short List, Short Form Commercial (between one minute and five minutes)
The most gob-smackingly gorgeous ad in this year's lineup is this Argentinian commercial for the Volkswagen Golf, in which the action - spanning three seconds - is captured using extreme slow-motion photography. Agency: DDB Argentina.
For more examples of this year's Clio Award winners and runners-up visit their website.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan