Apple: "Think Different"

You know, I don't even like Apple computers (overrated), but... I can't watch this ad without getting chills. There's just something that strikes you right in the heart when you see this parade of innovators -- especially since they did such a good job of mixing such a wide variety of them. Go ahead, watch it. Tell me it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, or at least come damned close. And even though I'm not a raging Apple fan myself, I must say... man, this really does speak to their target audience in an absolutely dead on fashion.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Strange Japanese Ad

Well honestly, I have no idea what the hell is going on in this one. But look at it just once and you'll know why I couldn't bear to NOT pass it on.

XM: "Sky is falling"

Great ad, obviously a heck of a job to produce. My only criticism -- they were clearly headed in the direction of "taking it to an 11" but didn't get quite there. The pace accelerated, but I would've taken it even a few notches higher before the payoff.

Skittles: "The Skittles Touch"

Pretty funny stuff, but mostly because it's just a bit creepy and disturbing. I'm surprised they took this angle, but happy they did.

Apple: "1984"

Wow, did this one generate some serious heat when it launched in the early 80's. Now, some might argue that it was a wee bit off-topic for Apple, since it was aimed at IBM (as opposed to Microsoft, which really emerged as its true rival). That being said, the revolutionary spirit of the ad perfectly matched Apple's brand promise, and is a theme that's run through its best ads ever since. (stay tuned for the "Think Different" ads).

The Geico Cavemen Series

They're funny as hell, they're memorable as hell, and they scream the brand name throughout.

They're actually going to make a TV show about these characters, and who could blame them? The cavemen are a hoot -- that combo of looking like a caveman yet acting like a very modern, very Gen-X-irritated manner, well... the combo works.

Mentos: "Car Movers"

A Mentos commercial as one of the best ads ever? You're damned right. See, here's the thing -- these were some of the most annoying ads ever made, but dollar for dollar, they were also some of the most talked about and parodied one ever made. (good luck finding the real ones on YouTube in the midst of all the parodies).

So sure, lots of people might've been turned off Mentos by them. But let's be honest -- who the hell had even heard of Mentos before these ads? So yeah, maybe you turn off 2/3 of your targets with the ads, but if your name recognition goes from 1% to 99%, you've still done okay.

Accordingly, BestAdsEver proudly unveils a new category, with this ad as the innaugural member: "Annoyingly Good"

Western NY State Tobacco-Free Programs: "Crazy driver"

Nice message, and delivered in a way that makes the point without being whiney (as so many PSA's and anti-smoking ads are)

Got Milk? "Calcium & PMS"

The first 7 times I viewed this, I thought for sure it must be a parody. But after some research (well, a little), it looks like this was actually a real ad (and certainly the production value seems way too high for an amatuer job).

Assuming I'm right... wow, this is a riot. I can't believe they ran it, but this is brilliant.

Rolling Rock: "Foul Balls"

You know, it's just plain juvenile, but in spite of that (because of that?), it's pretty damned funny. Kudos to Rolling Rock for having the -- ahem -- "balls" to make this one. Given the viral spreading it generated, this definitely deserves a place among the best.

Budget: "Aromatherapy candles"

In a vast wasteland of car rental company commmercials that are cheesy, irritating, dorky, just plain stupid, or all of the above (see Avis "I wanna rock" commercial), this series from Budget stands out as being pretty funny, surprisingly edgy, and well... just plain good.

Fitness Made Simple: "Six Pack Ads"

John Basedow freaks me out. Big time. There's just something really weird and frankly creepy about how he suddenly emerges, unabashedly shirtless. I think it'd be one thing if he were just there shirtless like a zillion other body builder types. But the fact that he's talking seriously, sounding like a businessman, but... with no shirt. That's weird. Like some shirtless guy showed up in your conference room with a Powerpoint. It's just... weird.

And yet, it's precisely that weirdness that makes it so attention-grabbing, so creepily compelling, so ripe for parody, and consequently... so good.

Lynx: "Spray More, Get More"

Okay, I'm going to take a wild guess and say there's a serious gender gap when it comes "thumbs up" vs "thumbs down" on this one, but... well, hey, I'm a guy, and I loved it. More importantly, it kept my attention for the entire length of the commercial. Yeah, yeah, in part because of the attractive running models, but mostly because I couldn't help but wonder what the heck it could possibly be for. And in the age of TiVo, any time an ad gets you to stop and pay attention, that's certainly a good start.

Levis: "Dangerous Liaisons"

90 seconds -- very long for an ad -- and yet it kept my attention the whole time. Great stuff.

Axe Body Spray: "Trained Fish"

For the first minute or so, you'll be wondering what the hell is going on, but the payoff is well done.

DraftObama.org: "Obama for President"

Okay, so full discloure here -- I was one of the leaders of DraftObama.org, and helped make this ad happen, so I'm obviously positively inclined towards it. That being said, the bang for buck from this ad was phenomenal (thanks to the ad's producer, Bud Jackson). With a very low initial expenditure to create it, and a very low (but highly targeted) paid buy, DraftObama.org was still able to drive hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and fantastic buzz in the media and the blogosphere. Best of all, I met with Senator Obama shortly after he announced, and he mentioned that his wife Michelle actually saw one of those paid ad buys when they were deliberating whether to run (a highly, highly targeted buy -- Christmas day in Hawaii, where we knew that the Senator and his family would be on vacation).

Epuron: "Wind"

Okay, so this is tough to understand, between the webby sound, the accent, and the deep voice, but... bear with it, because the payoff at the end is just fantastic.