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Ad It Up (Consumerism at its Best)

This might be an obvious statement, but I think that the most memorable television commercials are extremely polarizing. These days, to catch the viewer's eye and ear you really have make something outstanding and different. Of course this always runs the risk of pissing people off - aka Toyota's "Saved By Zero" campaign. Is that thing over yet?! But the very best commercials are those that stand out in a way that isn't torturous. A lot of advertisers think that different = wacky, as in wacky song, wacky gimmick, wacky characters, etc., but that is simply not the case. If the ad companies in charge of making Super Bowl commercials would just listen up, perhaps we wouldn't have to sit through one more dancing or talking animal this February.

So what does make a good advertisement? We've established that annoyingly catchy songs are bad. Anthropomorphic animals are bad. And outrageous mini-situational comedies are bad too. Now, I'm the kind of person who appreciates a little bit of honesty and emotion. I like advertisements that are short, to the point, and most importantly, have great music. In fact my two recent favorites have no talking at all. Here's the first one. It's from Hagen Daz, and when I first saw it, I almost cried:



Its. Raining. Freakin. Vanilla! I have no words to speak. This ad is like raw beauty bottled up into a...well, a carton of ice cream. I never wanted vanilla ice cream more than I did upon seeing that commercial - and I don't even like vanilla ice cream.

My second example is more recent. This is perhaps the most effective television commercial I've seen since the Hagen Daz one. Every time I see it, I literally rush over to my TV and watch with amazement.


How do I get invited to that party? It looks so cool. K.G., Beckham, Missy Elliot, Method Man. You couldn't ask for a better guest list. I wish the house parties I went to in college were half as cool as that one. Maybe, just maybe, if I had had a pair of Adidas sneakers it would have been...No, no, that can't be true. I actually did own a pair of Adidas shoes in high school and all I got were invites to marching band and debate team parties. They were nothing like the Adidas party in this ad.

And the music! That's my favorite part. No voice over - the music just speaks for itself. It's like all of that minimalist art stuff finally caught on in the ad world. The new way to shock people is to undershock them. Plus, relatively new artist, Madcon's rendition of the Four Tops' "Beggin'" really makes the video. If this ad doesn't make you go out an buy Adidas tennis shoes, you will certainly go download this song. Okay, I admit I am in some respects the ideal consumer. Essentially, if you impress me with your commercial I'll at least want to buy your product. But isn't that how advertisements are supposed to work?

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  1. Blogger Unknown | 9:44 AM |  

    There's no way KG would go to a house party like that when he was in Minnesota. Thanks for rubbing it in that he's gone from me again, Adidas, you jerks.

  2. Blogger Sean | 12:37 PM |  

    i never noticed the celebrities in that adidas ad before and i've seen it countless times.

    who the f is KG?

  3. Blogger Unknown | 1:16 PM |  

    Sean, you ignorant slut. KG = The Big Ticket = Da Kid = NBA champion for the 07-08 season with the Boston Celtics = Kevin Garnett. Geeeeeeeze.....

  4. Blogger Lady Amy | 1:42 PM |  

    Plus, I'm pretty sure that's Katy Perry but I had no confirmation. But who else would be at an Adidas party trying to slut it up?

  5. Blogger chris | 10:43 PM |  

    I also loooove that Hagen Daz ad. So pretentiously delicious.

    I'm happy to see some focus on good commercials! It's weird to see it done well and it's hardly ever pointed out by anyone when they are good since it's so few and far between.

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