Heineken

A one-minute Heineken ad shows how much meaning fits in a tight limit. Malcolm Gladwell loves a Heineken ad in which tipsy friends sing in a cab until a grumpy driver joins in. In about a minute it holds friends, a ride home, public singing and a driver who gives in.

Gladwell liked it enough to track down its creator and interview him "for no reason". He lists five or six things the minute does to warm your heart, and compares it to songs that keep working, like the Black Eyed Peas hit. Quote: "the idea that you could do something meaningful in that time is just to my mind fantastic".

How I Write▶ 53:27