Every year companies around the world take risks and deploy new strategies to get their message out across a variety of different platforms. As 2017 comes to a close, marketing and communications experts weigh in on which companies hit the nail on the head in terms of audience reach, conveying their message in a creative and memorable way.​

Wealthsimple launched a branded content series featuring stories about money from various celebrities and other notable personalities, which Bob Pickard of Signal Leadership Communications pegs as one of the top campaigns this year. "These are well styled with a look and feel that’s in tune with the company’s modern aesthetic, without trying too hard or pushing the sales agenda too aggressively," he told BNN. "I like how this information is relevant for current account-holders (internal) and speaks to the needs of potential customers (external). Both the images and the writing are of a very high quality — first-class content from start to finish."

Burger King's ad for the Whopper ruffled a few feathers at Google — so much so that the internet giant actually pulled the ad just hours after its debut - and that's one of the reasons Rain43's John Yorke loves it. The ad featured a Burger King employee holding a Whopper, asking in a clear voice "Okay Google, what is the Whopper burger?" The statement would trigger Google Home devices of viewers watching the ad, which would then proceed to read out the Whopper burger's Wikipedia page. Yorke called the ad "high risk and high reward." 

Airbnb's "We Are Here" campaign aimed to foster human connection by sending people around the world and stream their experiences online using helmet-mounted cameras in an attempt to allow viewers to feel like they were there first hand. Kaare Long, CEO and Founder of Vancouver-based Cue Creative Consulting called it "highly effective" because it harnessed the "true power of social media" to genuinely connect people and bring the conversations offline. "It provided a service and resource and encouraged real human connections that resulted in positive involvement and community growth," she told BNN in an email.

People around the world were surprised to wake up on International Women's Day this past March to see a "fearless girl" standing in front of Wall Street's infamous Charging Bull. "The 50-inch statue became a viral sensation, garnering plenty of attention from media outlets around the globe and trending on social-media sites,” Annika Panzini, Founder of Kika Marketing & Communications told BNN. “She’s a symbol of women braving the sexual harassment and gender discrimination of Wall Street to rise in a male-dominated field. We can say without a doubt that the Fearless Girl made a global impact."
 

Panzini also gives top marks to Coca-Cola for its gay-friendly ad. "While gay-themed movies and television shows are growing increasingly commonplace, advertising companies have been slower to embrace same-sex couples. It is especially uncommon for big brand names like Coca-Cola," she says. "Various international brands are coming forward with their efforts to make the LGBTQ community feel accepted as a normal part of the society and support them in their fight for equality.

“And Coca Cola being one of them is a major step forward in the right direction."