Among the many things that have captivated me during the Olympics has been the series of ads for United: spots that feature otherworldly, heartbreakingly gorgeous animation. The artistic styles are quite different (I've seen three of the five), from a swirling, organic style that looks like sand painting, to a cut-paper look that reminds me of illustrator Dave Wheeler's work in HOW's December 2007 issue.

The campaign was created by BD'M and has won a Gold Effie Award for marketing effectiveness and was nominated for an Emmy Award. What's interesting is that the United brand mark makes an appearance only at the end of the minute-long ads, but the "Rhapsody in Blue" soundtrack (each spot has a different arrangement) is unmistakably on-brand; you know it's United before you see the logo, because the company "owns" that tune.

Naturally, you'll find the spots on YouTube, and you must drop what you're doing and watch all of them now.