To all those who claim that playing video games is just pure dorkiness... here's an answer from Playstation. Hey, even if a lot of the game players ain't cool -- including, ahem, me -- the commercial sure is, and has a Clio award to show for it. (Oh, and as a side note -- for all you gamers out there, let me make a shameless plug here for the Video Game Voters Network, a great org fighting against unfair regulation of video games).
Well, it must've been a real hassle to film this, but the result was worth it. Monkeys and jackasses, all in one place. Awesome.
Until the last few seconds, you'll be wondering what the hell is so great about this, but... then you'll get it, big time. Very clever.
They've done a bunch of fairly clever ads, but this one is my favorite so far. It's just got that right combo of weirdness and straight-on message.
Now I confess, I don't know much about this candidate. But based on this ad alone, had I been in Massachusetts for this election, I certainly would've learned more. If only the major parties could get as edgy as indies like this!
The wildly innovative production really keeps your eyes glued to the TV, if nothing else, to try to figure out how the hell they're doing what they're doing. And in the day and age of the TiVo, anything that keeps your eyes glued to a TV ad is a good thing.
Who in the world would've thought that someone could make milk cool? And yet, that's exactly what the fine folks at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners did through a series of some of the funniest (and most parodied) ads of all time. Originally rolled out in just a few states, it was so good the campaign was taken nationwide.
This one, "Who Shot Alexander Hamilton," was one of the first to roll out, and one of the most memorable.
Aw hell, even the cynical among us had to crack a smile at this one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's just throwing him a sweaty jersey at the end and all, but still, it's just so damned sweet.
One of the classics from the dotcom era. Anything involving monkeys is always a safe bet for a great ad, and when you have a whole slew of monkeys, it's more fun than a barrel of... um, yeah.
Well, I love salmon but I fear bears so this has love/hate potential, but... hell it's just love. The boxing bear rocks.
I saw this ad live when it first ran, and just about fell out of my seat. Possibly the best slogan ever. Unfortunately, they got flak for for it, wimped out, and changed it to the yawner, "you bet if it's Aspercreme."
Frankly, I'm not even sure what the hell Aspercreme does, but if they bring back the original ad, I pledge to buy it on a regular basis.
God, I hope they sold a TON of beer from this one.
A very, very, VERY big ad, indeed...
This is funny stuff, and a welcome relief from the usual utter crap that dominates the airwaves during the political season (scrolling headlines... candidate with 2.4 kids and a golden retriever, etc.)
Here's another one from that series that really cracks me up. You know, I've never even seen Jack Link's Beef Jerky in a store, but if I do, I'm gonna buy it by the ton.
This is from Paul Wellstone's first campagin for Senate, back in 1990. It's a parody of the Michael Moore film, "Roger and Me," but with the challenger trying to find the incumbent (Senator Rudy Boschwitz) to debate him. It's funny as hell, you can't help but love Wellstone, and not surprisingly, it generated more PR/earned media (aka "free showings") than just about any political ad in history.
Oh yeah, and that year, Paul Wellstone was the only challenger to defeat an incumbent senator.
Great ad. Funny as hell... they had me at the line "cowboys herding cats"
This ad launched in the height of the dotcom bubble, when seemingly every other ad on TV had a ".com" attached to it. And yet, this was one of the few that really stood out from the pack. Simple, creative, funny, and incredibly memorable.
This whole series is absolutely incredible, but this one may be my favorite. The double taunt with the gentle "we're sorry" cracks me up every time.
Man, Geico really makes some great ads. The gekko ones are the worst of the lot, and they're still pretty damned good. The cavemen are my favorite, but this tiny house one is still a hoot (and got me the first few times)
This one was ubiqitous in the 70s -- as was litter along the nation's highways. Did it singlehandedly change America's litterbugs? Nah. But was it memorable and impactful as hell, and did it likely make a difference? Uh, yah.
If you were alive in the early 80's, you surely remember this one. It got a lot of attention, sold a ton of burgers for Wendy's, and... even was quoted by Walter Mondale in the '84 Democratic debate with Gary Hart.
