Agency: Ogilvy New York

Name of campaign: "Thought Leadership"

Launch date: July 2009

Creative credits: Executive creative directors: Tom Godici, Greg Ketchum; associate creative director/art director: Justin Walsh; creative director/copywriter: Tom Bagot; art buyers: Leslie Dacri, Elizabeth Lucas; illustration: LIA, Carl De Torres, Sebastian Onfuszak

Why we liked it: While we like strong photography in ads, we're still of the David Ogilvy school of thought that ads with long copy are often some of the best-read—because of the implication that these text-heavy ads actually have something to say. These "Thought Leadership" ads from IBM, which are part of the company's "Smarter Planet" effort, definitely have something to say. These ads, which remind us of the editorial-style ads Mobil Corp. used to run on <i>The Wall Street Journal's</i> opinion page, discuss how the burgeoning ability for computers and people to analyze data in real time and make effective decisions because it is changing the world for the better. In the copy, IBM shows how analytics is changing energy efficiency, security and other sectors of industry. The copy is very clear about how the creation of "smart planet" isn't just talk: "This idea isn't a metaphor, or a vision or a proposal—it's a rapidly emerging reality."