OT: TV Ads. Compelling or Repelling?

[Kibitzer]

Considering only your reaction -- positive or negative -- to individual TV commercials, which ones appeal to you and which don't. Let me start the discussion.

Bouquets:

- Capital 1, but just the ones with Samuel. Spike and Charles. 30 delightful seconds every time.
- Liberty Mutual Car Insurance. The actors come across as policy holders and seem to be encountered casually with the Statue of Liberty conveniently positioned in the background. The "catch" to their subtle sales pitch is buried in print too tiny and too voluminous to grasp.
- Buick. Their aim is obvious: Convince consumers that Buicks are The Car for The Young. The skits are fun to watch.
- GEICO, especially the skit with the alligator at the dinner table.​

Bummers:

- National Car Rental, with the insufferably obnoxious businessman choosing "any car on the lot." Making it worse is the poor editing.
- AllState, with the accident-prone guy getting blown up or beaten up.
- And just about every one by law firms or for over-the counter prescription drugs.
​

OK, 'Yarders, which ads turn you on? Or off?

​

 

[UcMiami]

Kib - fun topic, and I agree that Capital1 stands out as probably the best current ad campaign in terms of actors, creativity, humor, etc. and then I remember that it is not known as a good company (or a good industry.)

In my 'worst' category - Progressive Insurance
My best at the moment is political and so should not be included here, but it involves children watching television.
My favorite all time dates way back - man walks into a bar and unpacks a wind up skater that starts skating on the bar surface and a row of beer barrels for the skater to jump over. the skater makes the jump but crashes through the bar surface. The man packs up his stuff and leaves as the bar tender is seen rapping on the bar surface looking for the crack and the camera cuts to the man walking out and he has a large wind-up key sticking out of his back,

 

[reno tony]

Over the years I have enjoyed the Budweiser commercials and most of the VW ones as well. Can't stand any legal ones that involve some particular products. And lately the AARP commercials are beginning to bug me. I do find some medical ones amusing like "If you think you have shaky leg syndrome call us" almost as much as I used to like the going bald commercials years ago.

 

[j66kicker]

AT&T

 

[JordyG]

Geico. The shear variety and consistency of humor grabs me.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My favorites are the incontinence product commercials. I see one, I laugh, I don't wet myself and feel really good!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I'm with Kib - nothing good about most lawyer and medical commercials - over the counter or prescription in my opinion.

That said, I try to avoid watching commercials. I watch almost nothing live, and therefore can skip the commercials most of the time.

 

[Intpseeker]

My favorites are the incontinence product commercials. I see one, I laugh, I don't wet myself and feel really good!

Watch Oops! I Crapped My Pants from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Watch Oops! I Crapped My Pants from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com

Watching it I nearly ...well, you know.

 

[meyers7]

Bummers:

- AllState, with the accident-prone guy getting blown up or beaten up.​

You mean Mayhem? Those are brilliant.

Bouquets:

- GEICO, especially the skit with the alligator at the dinner table.​

Ok that one kinda annoys me. Maybe I've seen it too many times. But I do like the gecko ones.

 

[CL82]

I like the drug add when the voice over person plows through the list of potential side effects...


"May cause diarrhea , hair loss , blotchy skin, impotence, left ear drop off.... and death"

Well, heck yeah, sign me up!

 

[johnnyc]

Two favorites.....






Ah this sure brings me back.

To when five minutes ago. lol

 

[meyers7]

I like the drug add when the voice over person plows through the list of potential side effects...


"May cause diarrhea , hair loss , blotchy skin, impotence, left ear drop off.... and death"

Well, heck yeah, sign me up!

I know, on some of them I'd rather have the disease they are for.

 

[DataNerd]

The perfect commercial: hilarious hence memorable, no doubt about which product is being promoted, and is wordless (other than the label) hence universal. Timeless.