Emotion and humor with family first messages prevail among this quarter’s top ads.

The quarter ended with the celebration of extraordinary creative at Cannes Lions, inspiring brands and agencies to produce their best work leading up to the event. On top of that, the recent advertising trend of quality over quantity has given rise to some impressive ads these past few months. With both Mother’s and Father’s Day falling in Q2, there were plenty of opportunities for brands to capitalize on the family theme – and many did. Despite all that clutter, several ads spotlighting parents made it into the Top Breakthrough Ads of the Quarter. Animals, either domesticated or untamed, were a common feature found in four of the top ten spots. In addition, classic Hollywood scenes, a rainbow of vibrant dots, and animations of majestic wild animals are examples of the variety of captivating visuals among the Top Ten Breakthrough Ads.

Below are Q2’s top ads ranked by Breakthrough performance, which combines the Attention and Likeability component scores. These are the best of the best, achieving Breakthrough levels recorded by less than 1% of all ads.

Top Breakthrough Ads of Q2, 2017

Three of the top ten spots were tributes to the unconditional love and unwavering support of mothers and fathers in honor of their respective holidays. In addition to those three, ads from Milk Bone and Home Depot portrayed family themes with a spotlight on pets. Visuals were a key creative element that drove Likeability and Attention scores in most of the ads, with viewers naming it the top Single Best Thing about each ad by a wide margin. AT&T’s spot shared a philanthropic message about veterans, making that the most liked aspect in that ad. Viewers favored shorter creative this quarter with the top ads all 1:00 or less, and a majority in the 0:30 format.

TD Ameritrade’s “Every Moment” earned the Top Breakthrough spot with its ‘celebration of fathers who invest in every moment.’ The ad features a creative rendition of the classic hit “Cat’s in the Cradle” that is dedicated to a loving father whose hard work is acknowledged in the chorus line when the son sings, “I’m gonna be like you dad.” This ad went directly for the heartstrings, with many respondents commenting on the “touching” nature of the spot.

TD Ameritrade’s “Every Moment” emo cloud

Coming in second is Milk Bone’s touching ad that reminds viewers of all the love and joy dogs bring to our lives. The dogs stole the show in this ad with viewers unable to get enough of them in scene after scene. Whether they own one or not, viewers found the sweet nature of dogs depicted in this ad very relatable, contributing to the ad having the highest relevance score in the top ten.

Cleverly using wild animals as symbols for mothers, Lysol’s “Mother Protection,” is a testament to the great lengths moms will go to protect their children from harm. Thomas Murphy, McCann’s co-CCO, explained that they saw a “bigger emotional truth to the brand. The instinct to protect the ones you love is universal, and Lysol is designed to help people do that.” Viewers loved the metaphor

Samsung successfully illustrates the vibrancy of quantum dot technology in “Next Innovation.” Vivid, colorful dots dancing around the screen to the beat of a bass-heavy song captivated audiences and made it almost tie for the third spot on the list. Samsung got its message across about the quality of the QLED TV viewing experience, which viewers stated sparked their interest in checking out the product- 62% reported positive purchase intent.

Humor made an appearance in four of the top ten ads, with Farmers Auto Insurance evoking the strongest humorous reaction from viewers. The fifth place ad is a continuation of the brands “Hall of Claims” campaign. Taking the sixth spot on the list, Nespresso’s “Comin’ Home” features George Clooney as he takes a trip down memory lane through iconic Hollywood scenes from movies like The Muppet Movie to Smokey and the Bandit. The diversity of movie scenes appealed to a broad audience, and when combined with a relevant celebrity, Attention was held throughout the ad. Other ads on the list with a little bit of a comical touch include Infiniti’s “Spring Event” and Home Depot’s “Raincoat,” which features a young girl making a mess with her puppy and pet pig.

Similar to TD Ameritrade’s spot, GMC’s homage to the bond between fathers and sons was another ad viewers found ‘touching’ and ‘sweet.’ Rounding out the top ten is AT&T’s patriotic ad, “Rise Up.” Inspiring imagery fills the thirty-second spot which ends with an uplifting message saluting veterans ‘with 20,000 jobs by 2020.’