Epic winter landscapes (CGI, nonetheless), dramatic Game of Thrones style music and, in perfect synchronisation, the narration of GoT badass Tywin Lannister as the voice of nature. Three elements that make BBC’s new Sochi 2014 (Winter Olympics) trailer absolutely awesome. Created by RKCR/Y&R and director Tomek Baginski, the 90-second clip takes an approach of focusing on the battle with nature that the Winter Games holds, a challenge like no other, or, in his own words “I am the dreadful menace. The one whose will is done. The haunting chill upon your neck. I am the conundrum.” Gripping. Watch it after the jump.

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Sony always do it big with their adverts. Take their recent 4K TV ad, for example, where they shot 8 million flower petals out of a volcano in Costa Rica. Putting special effects aside once again, Sony has produced a beautiful new advert for their Alpha 7 range of cameras. Filmed in 4K by Simon Hammond and Cutting Edge, the footage shows a team of skydivers in free fall on the edge of the planet changing a Sony A7R lens mid-air. I want to sit here and tell you how the special effects are amazing, but no, the whole thing was real. Shot across 9 different jumps over 2 days, the minute-long video is no ordinary ad. Check it out after the cut.

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Now here’s something different. Motorola have created an interactive print advert that will appear in the pages of select copies of Wired magazine. This unique idea is a worlds first and if a success could start a new trend. The ad will allow readers to customise the Moto X phone by giving them the chance to change to colour of the phone simply by touching the paper. Check out the video after the cut to see how the whole thing works and pick up a copy of WIRED‘s January issue at select newsstand’s and stores to put it to the test.

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Brilliant. When every retailer’s advertising touches on the warm fuzzy feeling everyone has around this time of the year, Harvey Nichols chose to flip this on its head with their latest campaign by encouraging consumers to abandoning the thoughtful giving and spend as much on themselves. They’ve created a beautifully minimal collection of gifts in the Sorry, I Spent It On Myself range which includes items such as toothpicks and Lincolnshire gravel. The advert shows different family scenarios where one member has spent all their money on themselves whilst buying whack presents for everyone else. Watch on the reverse.

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Watch in awe. Mind-boggling, realistic stunt from legendary actor Jean-Claude Van Damme do his epic split between two Volvo trucks. No CGI – it’s a live test but why? to demonstrate the precision and stability of the Volvo Dynamic Steering technology which is a world’s first. It makes the car way easier to drive. Lord knows what would have happened if it wasn’t stable. Epic advertising.

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On Saturday night John Lewis along with a few other big name brands stole the show during ITV‘s hit show The X-Factor with the unveiling of their Christmas advertisements. For the last couple years the John Lewis xmas ad has been received by the public in a very favourable manner and has even helped the music artists involved gain notoriety. With expectations high the ad was introduced to the world and instantly became a hit if social media is anything to go buy. The story of The Bear and The Hare took many back to yesteryear by reminding them of The Animals of farthing Wood series. Now a short clip showcasing how the advert was created has been released and I must say it is rather intriguing. It’s hard to believe that this ad took 6 months to make at a cost of over 1 million pounds, see how they made it after the cut.

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I have literally spent my entire day at my Mac researching for and writing a uni essay, so I really needed a little laugh this evening. Thankfully this excellent advert popped up on my radar and has given me ample chuckles. I use Baxter of California products to create my well groomed look (ahem) and would recommend their hair products in particular. However until they send us something over, let us just focus on the ad for now. It puts a comedic twist on a teenage boy “discovering his manhood” and I am sure guys in particular will relate to this video. Check it out after the cut!

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So much nostalgia in this, especially if you’re around my age (25) - Sony‘s going hard with the advertising for the new console which is set to drop late next month. It’s taking us back to the routes of modern day gaming by following a set of friends as they grow with the console releases over the years; Playstation, PS2, PS3 and now the 4. What really takes it back for me is the styling and set in each of the scenes, it’ll definitely bring you flashbacks of your childhood.

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“After all these years, it’s finally here” says Samsung as they tease their impending release of the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch by unveiling a couple of cleverly conceptualised viral videos. Taking us through the a-z of sci-fi films ‘Evolution’ and ‘Long Time Coming’ were quite clearly designed to arouse nostalgia; it features early incarnations of the infamous smartwatch from the likes of Power Rangers, The Jetsons and Knight Rider. I like the ad but I’m not fussed about the watch as its very impractical, do you really need a watch with all those extra “features”? I mean, all the while clutching an iPhone, iPad and Macbook?! #Longforman I definitely begged for a Power Rangers watch when I was kid though…. And on that note, ads after the break.

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As we know, brands are ensuring that every new handset has a level of functionality that makes it impossible for us to see our phones as just phones. The smarter our smartphones get, the more they become a part of our lifestyle. Samsung is no exception. Apple’s biggest rivals’ new range of Galaxy phones have boasted skills that puts them ahead of other handsets in the market, but their latest campaigns sees them using some familiar faces on the creative scene and regular consumers to show just how to put the skills to test. BMX pro Harry shows the S4′s slow-motion functionality, while Shadez The Misfit teases a new song and exhibits it’s double-camera filming feature in the recording studio. Suffoca take the S4 Active underwater, and Isamaya FFrench creates art with her phone. Check out the videos under the cut.

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