Saturday

The Red House: "Can't We All Get Along?"

Again, this falls right in the category of "annoyingly good ads." It's just so weird, that you can't help but keep watching. Whoever made it is a genius... whether intentionally or not.





(Care of Holy-Taco)

Friday

Best car ad ever? Toyota

Seriously brilliant. Love the fact that they didn't wuss out and take off the edge. And some of this is pretty edgy indeed.

Saturday

The T-Mobile Dance

I don't really know all the details of this, and it's pretty long for a TV ad (maybe Net only?), and I'm too lazy to actually research it, so... just enjoy it for what it is. Brilliant.

ShamWow

Maybe you love it, maybe you hate it, but... you can't ignore it. Has it gotten attention? Hell yeah. Just check out YouTube for the zillions of ads, and of course... "Vinnie."

CBS: Letterman and Oprah

An ad worthy of a Superbowl placement.  Not necessarily the greatest ad ever, but... given the pairing, it's not a surprise that it generated as much chatter as it did.



Friday

Head On: "Apply Directly to the Forehead"

So damned annoying... which is what makes it so good. Ten years ago, before the Internet, it would've been just a crappy add. But now it's the subject of all kinds of chatter, parody, and other net-age phenomena that has made the brand awareness spread like wildfire.

Saturday

"Casino" Trailer

You know, I enjoyed the film, but kept thinking it was a poor man's Goodfellas. Good flick, don't get me wrong, but... Goodfellas was a GREAT flick, and this was basically the same cast.

But when it comes to the trailer... A+ all the way.


Send us your "best ad" suggestions!

Folks, we're always on the lookout for new ads to put up here, and... would love your suggestions.

Got an ad you love? Tell us about it.  Feel free to email us or if you prefer, simply post a comment below with your suggestion.

If possible, please include a link to the ad itself online (ideally, at YouTube). But hey, if you don't have that, don't worry. Just tell us what you remember, and our crack research team will find it.

Thursday

Winston Cigarettes: "Flintstones"

Yeah, there's no doubt that this is from an era long, long, long ago. This doesn't so much get "best" recognition for the quality itself, but more from the pure, unadulturated "holy s***" reaction most people will have from watching it.

Monday

Pro-Line: "Because Anything Can Happen"

I'm not even sure what the hell this is actually for (some kind of lottery, I suppose), but... the commercial really is a hoot.

Wednesday

Cadbury: "Gorilla drums"

That is one cool gorilla. It's so engaging, and I'm not even sure why. I wanna hang with that gorilla.

Messin' with Sasquatch: Joy Buzzer (Jack Link's Beef Jerkey)

Jimmy Dean: "Full Moon"

This whole series has really grown on me. It's goofy, but... consistenly and unabashedly so. And ya gotta respect that. Most importantly, the characters are engaging, and the product very, very memorable. Mmmm.... craving some sausages right now.

Tuesday

Monster.com: "Don't Fight Monday"

I love this one. Every time I see it, I'm still drawn in by the "WTF is actually happening here" question. And not only does it get your attention, it delivers a powerful message -- that is very much ON message.

Friday

Christmas with Mike Gravel

I'm just so... confused by it. And yet, I can't look away.

Wednesday

Huckabee for President: "Floating Cross"

He needed to appeal to Christian conservatives, and... what better way to do it than a floating cross in the background (yeah, right, it was "not intended.").

Say what you will about whether it was appropriate, but... it appealed to the people it needed to target, and got the rest of America talking about it (and news programs showing it for free).

Friday

Flea Market Montgomery: "Just Like a Mini Mall"

(Promoted by popular demand -- my own)

10 years ago, this would have been an unqualified disaster -- a truly terrible ad. But the advent of the Internet has changed the rules, and for that reason, Flea Market Montgomery has hit a grand slam with this one.

With the rise of YouTube and other file sharing services, the TV ad can move beyond the TV and into the world of the net. If you strike the right chord, your ad isn't just seen by passive TV viewers, it's emailed at a fast and furious pace by legions of netizens. And striking a chord can be done by a fantastic ad, or an ad so bad that you can't help but pay attention.

Is it a cheesy ad? Oh yeah. But has it been seen by millions of Americans online, and tens of millions on TV? Even parodied by SNL? Hell yes. Had it been a "good" ad in the traditional sense, a few thousand local people might've seen it, and a few dozen might've been spurred to go to the store. But with this approach, the store is now known across America. And you better believe that that has led to a heck of a lot more than a "few dozen" visitors. Any ad creator who does not take into account the web's "echo potential" is playing by outdated rules.

The rules of the game have changed. And when it comes to TV ads, "annoying" can sometimes be "annoyingly good" or even "annoyingly fantastic."


Tuesday

Anonymous: "Vote Different"

One of the most talked about ads of the presidential campaign... didn't come from one of the candidates... and didn't even run on TV. Well, paid, at least. But God knows, it showed up a zillion times in the news.

Originally an "anonymous" ad, this actually came from Phil de Vellis. I met him, actually, to chat about this. Good guy, funny as hell, and... he did this alone on his own computer. How cool is that?

Monday

Heinz Ketchup Contest (Amateur Submission): "In Your Face"

Folks, this one was sent to me by BestAdsEver reader Luis Sinibaldi. And it warrants a new category here: "Web Only." You see, this was an ad that Luis and his friend Matt created for a Heinz Ketchup content (i.e., for user submitted ads).

And while Heinz didn't pick it as a winner, it sure as hell is a winner in our book. Funny as hell, and a testament to the creative potential a company can realize by tapping into its own user base. So for now, it may be "web only," but we think it's very much ready for prime time.

Saturday

Rolling Rock: "Beer Ape"

This isn't just a brilliant ad, it's a brilliant Internet-age strategy. Teaser ads were run on TV, driving people to visit the web to see the full-on ad.

Smart idea, and yet, still surprisingly rare. I mean, it's not like the Web is a new thing anymore, right?