Time just published its “Top 10 Any Category We Can Think Of” issue, and buried in there is a group of 10 great ads from the past year. Well, maybe not “great”–I would rather shove Norplant in my eyes than watch Evian’s rollerskating babies spot, but some of the other ones are pretty good. There’s also some great music in the list, including “Rapper’s Delight,” a Radiohead track, Bach, and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
This one is probably my favorite, and just a near-perfect ad in general–although I still don’t want an American Express card.
Top 10 TV Ads [Time]
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I was just talking to my roommate about how much I love that American Express commercial. Some of the faces are obviously arranged, but the ones that are just sort of incidental are so endearing to me.
Agreed. I love those commercials.
Double agreed !!
Same here. It puts a smile on my face every time I see it. Very clever and well-executed ad.
I think that every time I see it.
That marketing company is aces.
I think they may or may not have gotten this idea from somewhere else: http://facesinplaces.blogspot.com/
I’m surprised the GE Wizard of OZ Scarecrow ad didn’t make it. There are commercials few and far I can even tolerate (I’m getting cranky in my middle age); and I liked that one.
Television? What is this “television” you speak of?
It is something that some of us enjoy watching instead of riding around on our rainbow farting unicorns.
so thats where they come from, no more skittles for me !
It’s what you watch on your computer so you can say “I don’t own a television” and feel better about yourself.
“Peace of mind when you travel”
I LOLd.
Sony’s recent ad campaigns are great – especially the PS3 ads.
With a stick!
Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, that’s how WWI got started.
Ah, top 10 lists, so popular, so controversial….so Letterman.
I like the stupid roller babies commercial. Why does consumerist hate babies so much? I know I’m not gonna be liked for this but babies > cats.
depends on perspective.. my cats don’t need their butts wiped and can feed themselves
I’m sort of with you. Cats > babies, for reasons mentioned above (plus nobody will prosecute you for locking them in the bathroom to work out their issues if they go temporarily insane). Babies are only better than cats insofar as cats never start gamely repeating every bizarre-ass thing you ask them to. Toddlers > cats.
Anyway, I love the Evian commercial even though I think babies are mostly good for holding doors open. I think anyone who deeply hates it is just suffering subconscious echoes of the Ally McBeal oogachocka baby.
To be clearer, I don’t hate babies. I hate that particular commercial, where every baby looks fake, from the skin tone to how they move. I’m offended at how technically crappy it is.
I also never, ever want to see a shot like the one in the commercial where a handful of babies spring at the camera and latch onto a chain link fence. I’ve seen too many zombie movies to ever feel comfortable about anyone trying to get me from the other side of a chain link fence.
Also I just want to say uncanny valley and thank you.
Okay, you are right about it being a bad commercial. I know that intellectually, but I just can’t resist those adorable baby faces. Although I may not be able to watch it now that you’ve likened them to zombies. That is terrifying. (And I hate Evian, natch.)
Also I’m sorry for saying you hate babies. That was perhaps a bit of hyperbole. There does seem to be something of an anti-baby, pro-cat vibe on the Consumerist in general, probably more among the commenters than the writers. I’m just gonna go on and keep saying people here hate babies though, it’s more interesting than being fair about it.
I love babies. There are some commercials with babies (and old people) that always make me cry. Yes, I’m a wuss. However, this commercial … do not like. It doesn’t look real at all. Of course babies don’t do this; but the technology is just lacking.
I love dogs, but every movie where they are talking… (shudders). It just looks so bad!
I think the baby commerical is cute, but where are the parents? That’s what I want to know.
Kudos to Coke. I’d never seen that one before, and it’s just lovely. Coke has a legacy of excellent, often somewhat abstract, ads, and it’s always nice to see that continued.
Also, I was impressed by the GM commercial at the time, and was glad to be reminded of it — if companies must do ads in response to their own financial peril, I’d rather see a high-budget mea culpa than one of those ridiculous full-NYT-page thank you cards that at least a couple of the banks did. The latter came off as Nelson Muntz laughs in print.
Maybe it’s the entomologist in me, but I’m a really big fan of the Coke ad.
Time magazine .com has no idea how to do “View All” do they? I believe Wired nails this feature. View All shows you all the pages, not a trite list.
I thought the GM ad was very well done. It’s a risky move to say in an ad “we’ve fucked up massively and now we’re in a hole but we’re going to dig ourselves out of it” and they did a good job. It’s not cutting edge advertising, but it’s better than a PR statement full of jargon.
That Shelter.org.uk ad is amazing.
While we’re at it, can someone explain the new line of Target ads to me? I find them very uncomfortable to watch.
That Coke one is lovely. I’ve never seen it before.
I enjoy the AX one but will never be their customer, and, I always think it will be for arthritis medicine..you know, all those handles to turn is painful and makes me weepy…*sniffle*
The Travelers one is great. Any commericial that gets me to watch the whole thing is good.
What?! No love for Vince and the “Slap-Chop?”
How can you not laud a commercial that has the lines, “You’re going to love my nuts!” and “Linguine, fettucine, martini, bikini!â€
…it makes makes me feel like I’m being hypnotized into removing my wallet from my pocket!
They’re is a lot more great ads …. All i saw was faces…