The ten winners of the first TED Ads Worth Spreading competition have just been announced. Three of the ten were created by Wieden + Kennedy.

The ten winners of the first TED Ads Worth Spreading competition have just been announced. Three of the ten were created by Wieden + Kennedy. With this competition, TED were seeking to reverse the trend of online ads being aggressively forced on users. They say:

"We want to nurture ads so good you choose to watch. On TED.com, ads run after our talks, not before. This means they can run longer than the TV-standard 30 seconds. And that's the key! In 2-3 minutes, there's enough time to really tell a story, share an idea, make an authentic human connection, become unforgettable. Instead of ambush, they offer pleasurable, intelligent engagement. We invite you to view, comment, rate — and share!"

Here are the three winning Wieden + Kennedy ads, with comments by TED: 

In this spot, a classic American car-maker repositions the luxury automobile — and, at the same time, re-brands a troubled city. Our judging panel loved the powerful, authentic tone of this love letter to the city of Detroit.

(Now over 9 million views on YouTube.)

This ad uses animation brilliantly to make clear the benefits of investing in a single worthy cause. It sheds light — and hope — on one of the most overlooked, yet promising, assets on this planet: 12-year-old girls.

We love how this ad brings showcase and entertainment together, demonstrating a new smartphone's imaging capabilities through a magical, microscopic animation. (Fun fact: this ad holds a Guinness World Record as the smallest stop-motion animated film.)

(Over 2 million views on YouTube.)

‘Cats with Thumbs’ is the first piece of work in a brand new campaign from Wieden + Kennedy for Cravendale that intends to get totally carried away with everything milk-related. The TV ad brings to life a mental flight of fancy, musing on what might happen if cats were to grow opposable thumbs.

'Cats with Thumbs' is the first piece of work in a brand new campaign from Wieden + Kennedy (that's us) for Cravendale that intends to get totally carried away with everything milk-related. The TV ad brings to life a mental flight of fancy, musing on what might happen if cats were to grow opposable thumbs.  

The lead cat in the film, Bertrum, a shrewd and wily creature, has been an active user of social networks for some time. He's got thumbs. And plans. BIG plans. Follow his hilarious quest for world domination on Facebook and Twitter

In Bertrum's own words:

Huge thanks to everyone involved at W+K and Arla, director Ulf Johanssen (Smith & Jones Films) and MPC. It's been mental.