Campaign Videos Still Reign Supreme in 2025 (And Will Continue To Do So In 2026)
A key visual photographed by Vicinity for SkillsFuture Singapore. (2024)
A common theme you’ll find in our articles is that video content is the undisputed king of audience engagement, no matter your industry.
And it’s not just because we’re biased (maybe).
The landscape has shifted. In 2025, we saw the slow death of the “traditional commercial”. While marketing budgets tightened, the brands that won didn’t just shout louder – they made us feel something. Whether it was converting “yummy” visuals into dopamine or turning boring B2B software into comedy gold, the lesson for effective brand recall for 2026 is clear: Attention isn’t bought anymore; it’s rented with entertainment, and heart.
We analysed the breakout video campaigns of the year and back – from B2B giants to luxury powerhouses – to deconstruct the playbook of effective video campaigns.
B2B Can Be Fun Too (The “Boring” Industry Pivot)
For years, B2B video marketing was synonymous with talking heads and stock footage of handshakes. But over the past decade, we’ve observed that some of the best campaigns have realized that B2B buyers are humans who want, and need, a brand that speaks to them – not at them.
MAZDA x Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) – “For Those Who Dare.”
Featuring two-time national record holder Zackary Tay of the Singapore National Swimming Team, Mazda Singapore’s latest brand partnership with SAQ spotlights a shared philosophy: precision, style, and the mastery of one’s craft.
Rather than leaning on familiar car advertising tropes, the campaign chooses ambition over aesthetics. It’s not just about showcasing an exceptional vehicle – it’s about celebrating the relentless pursuit of excellence. Whether it’s a machine engineered to perfection or an athlete laser-focused on the finish line, the film champions the drive to push limits and refine one’s craft, one deliberate step at a time.
AT&T Business – “Sleep with Rain”
Throwing it back to The Office is AT&T’s latest 2025 ad, Sleep with Rain. The campaign features cast members Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Craig Robinson, and Brian Baumgartner in a reunion that hits every nostalgia button available.
Aside from the giant elephant in the room – which is Rainn’s innovative (and fictional) pillow with an ASMR sound system designed to put business owners to sleep – the genius lies in the editing. With tongue-in-cheek cutaways to the daily grind of a social media manager and a head of cybersecurity, plus a quick shoutout to AT&T’s internet services, BBDO’s Webby Award-winning ad is a masterclass in blending classic nostalgia, cheeky humour, and corporate relatability.
ECDA Singapore – “Early Childhood Career & Learning Fair 2023”
Fulfilment. Purpose. Hope. Authenticity.
Four words that perfectly encapsulate ECDA’s 2023 Early Childhood Career & Learning Fair marketing campaign video. Produced by Vicinity, we wanted to show why Early Childhood Development matters – and the pivotal role adults play in a child’s formative years – in a way that felt real, candid, and uplifting.
So we let the children lead the story. Rather than staged moments or glossy product shots, we used warm, bright visuals and the unscripted expressions of excitement that revealed genuine connection– the laughter, the small triumphs, the curious faces of eager students – became the film’s emotional core.
The result? A reminder that early-childhood careers are significant work. We framed teaching as purpose, not perfunctory duty, and invited viewers (parents, educators, and career-seekers alike) to consider how small daily acts shape futures. That human-first storytelling is exactly what turns attention into interest – and interest into action.
Adobe Analytics – “Click, Baby, Click”
Marketing analytics isn’t exactly a topic that gets people dancing at parties.
Adobe knew this, which is why they pivoted to high-octane satire. Produced by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the 2013 Adobe Marketing Cloud “Click, Baby, Click” campaign video took the specific pain point of every marketing manager – the obsession with vanity metrics over real ROI – and turned it into a memorable, tongue-in-cheek masterpiece.
By reminding the industry of its blind spots when it comes to vanity metrics – such as treating “clicks” as key marketing information despite not knowing their context (an issue that persists 12 years later), Adobe didn’t just sell a solution; they validated their audience’s frustration. It proved that even a SaaS product can build a cult following if you’re brave enough to make your customer laugh at their own job.
Preply – The SEO Powerhouse
While some brands go for laughs, others go for authority. Preply, an online language tutoring service founded in 2015, made its presence known over the past five years through a massive digital PR campaign that earned it nearly 4 million organic page visits and over 12,000 referring domains.
The secret sauce? Understanding their audience through data-driven video storytelling. Rather than traditional ads, they created content that journalists wanted to share. A great breakdown of Preply’s success can be found in Buzzstream’s podcast episode with Daniel Saccardi, Preply’s Senior Lead of Global Digital PR & Online Reputation, hosted by Buzzstream’s Director of Content Marketing, Vince Nero.
The “Sensory” Strategy (Selling a Feeling)
Whether it’s B2C or B2B, the trend for 2026 is moving away from “Buy This Product” toward “Experience This Vibe.”
McDonald’s Singapore – “Bulan Ramadan, Bulan Kasih Sayang”
Audiences can smell inauthenticity from a mile away. So, McDonald’s Singapore chose a different lane: real people, real warmth, and the real spirit of Ramadan. Vicinity Studio brought this to life through a documentary-style film that honours the quiet grit of our Muslim friends who continue serving the community while observing their fast.
No glossy product shots. No heavy-handed messaging. Just warm light, lived-in moments, and the kind of emotional honesty you can’t fake.
By spotlighting the small gestures – a tired smile, a shared meal, the relief of sundown – the film captures what Ramadan truly is: compassion, duty, family, and love. It’s not just a festive ad; it’s a tribute. And it proves that sometimes the strongest stories come from simply stepping back and letting humanity lead.
Rhode – Owning the “Yummy” Aesthetic
Every marketer, strategist, content creator, and brand owner knows that Rhode by Hailey Bieber owns the 2025 marketing campaign game. With traditional influencer marketing slowing down and brand-owned content on the rise, Rhode stands out from the crowd.
From lauded sensory ads that inspire the five senses (you can practically taste the texture through the screen), to “casual” – a term we use a little loosely here – Get Ready With Me videos featuring Hailey herself, Rhode leans into curated aesthetics. They aren’t just selling skincare; they are selling a dopamine hit.
MITH BKK – The Main Character Flip
MITH BKK made the rounds in late 2025 with their new fragrance ad, aptly titled The Scent That Gives You The Scene. Starring Thai actress Baifern Pimchanok, the ad starts with Baifern entering the scene – assumedly a shoot for MITH BKK’s latest scent.
But as they test the shot with a crew member, the scene abruptly shifts its focus. (P.S.: That’s as much as we can share, as we’d like for you to enjoy the video as much as we did.) Directed and produced by Wolf BKK and award-winning filmmaker Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, MITH BKK centers its focus on the everyday person who can become the main character of their story… with a little help, of course.
Cinematic Universes (The Return of High Production)
In an era of quick-hit TikToks, high-effort cinema has become the ultimate luxury signal.
Gentle Monster – The Avant-Garde Horror
A Korean eyewear brand-turned-cult favourite, Gentle Monster marks its success by refusing to be normal. Whether it’s their dystopian retail installations or their latest campaigns with Tilda Swinton and Hunter Schafer, they treat marketing as art.
Gentle Monster’s marketing trajectory echoes two particularly iconic early-to-mid-2000s videos, both directed by Spike Jonze: Fatboy Slim ft. Bootsy Collins’ music video Weapon of Choice, featuring a dancing Christopher Walken, and Kenzo’s 2016 fragrance ad, where Margaret Qualley dances wildly to Kenzo World.
In a nutshell: 2026, meet weird. And it’s wonderful.
Burberry – Heritage Meets Hollywood
Starring Olivia Colman, Lucky Blue Smith, and more star-lit names, Burberry’s latest F/W 2025 campaign is charmingly clever in its innocuous product placement. It offers an everyday look into life in London – rain, grey skies, and all – while donning the House’s signature colourways. It gives understated luxury a fresh look, proving that you don’t need to scream to be heard; you just need the right atmosphere.
A Timeless Callback – Gucci
While we focus on 2025/2026, we have to acknowledge one of the blueprints where cinema meets marketing: We’re bringing back creative mogul Alessandro Michele’s ode to cinema with The Exquisite Gucci Campaign (2022).
By dressing characters from 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining in Gucci, the brand set the gold standard for “Cinematic Universes” that other fashion brands are still trying to emulate today.
Radical Transparency & “The Rig”
Finally, trust is the currency of 2026.
Audiences want to see the seams, the dirt, and the reality.
Apple – iPhone 17 Pro Campaign
In the age of the creator economy, Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro campaign video showcases their phone in action-packed scenes – literally. We see videographers using the latest iPhones with rigs, dirt, dust, and debris kicked into their faces as they film the following scenes: a man falling as a ship explodes; horseback riding; a violent storm… You get the picture. By showing the “mess” behind the magic, Apple validates the iPhone not just as a phone, but as a tool for the trenches.
MOOM Singapore – The Pain Point Pivot
MOOM targeted their audience’s pain points to a T, resulting in massive traction and higher conversions. Their latest video ad campaigns leaned heavily into UGC/EGC (User/Employee Generated Content).
By using real faces in real scenarios, they identified what the everyday woman needs: convenience and science-backed help targeted towards women’s health. No filters, just solutions.
Skip the Hard Sell & Aim For The Heart (Of Your Audiences)
Behind the scenes of ECDA’s Career Fair 2023 marketing campaign video, produced and photographed by Vicinity. (2023)
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the era of the “hard sell” is officially over.
The campaigns that cut through the noise this year didn’t scream features, specs, or pricing. Instead, they sold a vibe. Rhode didn’t just sell a peptide treatment; they sold the sensation of “glazing” your life. AT&T didn’t lecture us on 5G reliability; they sold us the warm, fuzzy feeling of seeing our favorite TV cast reunited. Gentle Monster didn’t sell sunglasses; they sold a ticket to a cinematic horror film.
This is the new playbook for 2026. Audiences have become immune to the commercial break, but they are starving for world-building. Whether you are a B2B giant or a D2C darling, the mandate is the same: stop making commercials that interrupt the entertainment, and start making the entertainment itself.
In 2026, you aren’t competing with your direct competitors anymore. You’re competing with streaming platforms, TikTok algorithms, and the “Skip Ad” button. And the only way to win is to make them want to stay – with emotion and human resonance.
At Vicinity, that’s exactly what we create – cinematic, emotionally intelligent, brand-led storytelling that builds recall, not just reach.
If you’re ready to turn your next campaign into something people feel, not just watch, call us today at +6569936993 or reach out at [email protected] – let’s connect, create, and inspire.
