With TV networks and viewers alike fretting about commercials — you’re not watching enough of them or you’re forced to watch too many — companies are desperate to find that ad campaign that makes you stop and gawk.
According to Nielsen’s list of the Top 10 Best-Liked TV Commercials of the year, six companies have been particularly successful in the endeavor, although they’re probably not the ones you’d expect. Shockingly absent from the list are media darlings like the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ads which propelled Isaiah Mustafa to fame and Allstate’s “Mayhem” spots starring a deadpan Dean Winters.
Almost all the ads that viewers liked — and remembered — best were for age-old food products presented in a quirky way. “People do zip through the commercials that don’t seem as interesting, so creativity is now more important than ever to hold the viewer,” says David Lubars, chairman and CCO of BBDO North America, the agency behind the Snickers and M&M’s spots on the list. Take, for example, the Samsung 3D LED TV spot. “When’s the last time you saw people carry a cube of aquarium fish home and put it in their TV?” says ad writer Mike Doyle, VP creative director at Leo Burnett.“The best ads have a big, simple idea that you can describe in a few words as opposed to something that needs a lot of explaining,” says Lubars. For Snickers, it’s “you’re not you when you’re hungry” and M&M’s are “irresistible.”
Here are the ads that made you look twice this year.
Target, “Smoke Detector”Known for having cheeky ads, this Target spot — which aired during the series finale of ABC’s “Lost” — starred the series’ havoc-wreaking Smoke Monster, followed by a shot of a $10.99 smoke detector.
M&M’s, “Cupboard” While stored in a cupboard, the colorful candies engage in a food fight against a husband seeking snacks for his wife. The candies are “funny and flawed . . . people love seeing humanity in an inanimate object,” says Lubars.
Chef Boyardee, “Big Beef Ravioli”While at a supermarket, a mom knocks over an entire display of Chef Boyardee cans in an effort to stop her kid from hearing that the ravioli has a full serving of veggies in them.
M&M’s, “Election”A US remake of an ad that ran in Australia, this one features the candies stumping like politicians in an effort to get voted America’s favorite color.
- Image via Wikipedia
Snickers, “Road Trip” On a road trip with friends, Aretha Franklin gets called out for her diva behavior, only to turn into a dude after chowing down on a Snickers. “Of course you’re cranky when you’re hungry,” Lubars says, “But it’s never been articulated” this way.
Snickers, “Game” Considering the Betty White resurgence, it’s no surprise that people really liked it when they saw the spry old actress playing a muddy game of football in the ad that premiered during the Super Bowl.
Samsung, “Wonder-full” A family literally takes the aquarium home with them for an eye-popping 3D TV experience. The ad is “a memorable visual story that brought the home 3D experience to life,” says Doyle.
Starburst, “Contradiction: Mime” The Scottish Korean man returns with another astute observation about contradictions after catching a mime screaming descriptions of what he’s pretending to do.
via Ad about you – NYPOST.com.
Related articles
- Betty White’s Snickers Ad Tops Year’s Best-Liked TV Commercials (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
- Isaiah Mustafa hosting TBS funny-ads show (adweek.blogs.com)
- 12 Most Annoying Commercials of 2010 (thedailybeast.com)
- Betty White chosen as AP’s entertainer of the year (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
