Hysterical commercial asks, ‘What would the world be like without mobile?’

Sometimes you shouldn't fast-forward through the commercials — at least if you're in the U.K., where telecomm behemoth Qualcomm is currently airing this incredibly witty spot, which aims to show us that the world would be quite a different place without the wonder of mobile. The ad comprises a series of sketches showing people engaging in commonplace mobile activities — without the mobile. Email, video, tweeting, gaming, music, and updating your profile are all tackled. In the Twitter sketch, a small bluebird falls from the sky next to a man, who then bends down to pick it up. He unfolds it into a note, reads it, and then writes a response that he tosses into the air. It's harmless enough, until a massive pile of little bluebirds come falling out of the sky on top of him. So good.

There was a time when commercials were ridiculously straightforward product demonstrations that I wanted nothing more than to be able to fast-forward through, but of course back then there were no DVRs. However, with the advent of digital technology, and subsequently social media, the amount of creativity and production value going into the best of today's ads can make them a better watch than the show they're breaking up! So kudos to Qualcomm and the Viral Factory ad agency in London on a well-earned laugh.