The fact that we have a little more freedom to organize our lives according to our own wishes was immediately reflected in some commercials last month, including of course that of Heineken with the well-known Rudi. In this column we discuss a number of commercials that stood out to us and our viewers in April and we announce the winning commercial.

We start with this month's highest-grossing commercial: HORNBACH with 'There can be a garden anywhere', designed by Heimat Berlin. Hornbach's commercials are often striking, and this one also stands out, although it is in a slightly different style. This commercial shows that there can be gardens everywhere, especially in cities. The focus is on a stone facade and a busy intersection, where the facade is full of greenery, making the message clear: there can be a garden everywhere, even in cities. Even though, according to a number of respondents, there is not a direct clear link with HORNBACH, the commercial is rated very well and is therefore the winner of the past month. This response sums it up well: “This commercial is nice and grand and funny, as HORNBACH often does.”

The next commercial is from Rabobank, designed by 180 Amsterdam. This commercial beautifully shows that Rabobank believes that a financially healthier life starts with talking about money. Talking about the financial situation is often not as common as it should be. This commercial encourages you to talk about this with people around you, and indicates that this is of course also possible with experts at Rabobank. Our panel particularly noticed the music and rated it positively. This commercial scores high this month, with the following response summarizing the general assessment: 'Good, good music. Good message and radiates confidence.'

The third commercial is from Etos, designed by TBWANeboko. This commercial makes it clear that the attention at Etos is very personal and direct. You can always contact Etos employees with your questions, especially during this time. This commercial very much radiates the 'Etos feeling' and also concludes with the now well-known words: 'Love, Etos.' The commercial is a refinement of the brand message and builds on previous commercials. The commercial is very positive and is also perceived as such by the viewers, which summarizes this reaction well: 'Friendly advertising, appears reliable.'

Commercial four of the month of April is from the Staatsloterij about the King's Day draw, designed by TBWANeboko. In a special King's Day song, inspired by his big hit 'I can see clearly now', Lee Towers encourages everyone to make it a bit of King's Day, even in times of corona, because it is very possible to celebrate this day at home in a pleasant and responsible way. The following response well summarizes the feeling the commercial evokes in viewers: 'Sympathetic, Lee Towers is a nice guy, commercial encourages dreams'

The Radio 10 commercial, designed by Talpa Network – Het Bureau, receives a high score from our viewers and is very positive. 'Listen all day, the greatest hits of all time!' is the closing message of this cheerful commercial with, of course, good music incorporated. It is striking that most respondents think the commercial fits Radio 10 very well and therefore fits in well with what Radio 10 wants to convey. This is a very apt summary of the reactions and indicates that the commercial achieves the intended goal: 'Great album, makes you look forward to the day.'

The last commercial is from Kranoten, designed by TBWANeboko. In this commercial, the emphasis is on the feeling that winning is possible NOW. In the TV commercial, actor Mimoun Oaïssa and singer René le Blanc play the leading roles, showing that if the consumer wants something, he or she can do it now. Do you want a new coupe or a pizza now? That's possible! The same also applies to participating in Scratch Cards and thus winning them. According to the viewers, a strong point of this commercial is: 'The commercial fits very well with how society is today: 'I want it and I want it now!' As a result, the commercial creates recognition among many of the viewers.

This was just the tip of the commercial iceberg, as more than 80 new commercials were released in April. On to a beautiful and creative spring!

Read the column on MarketingTribune