Best and Worst Commercials of 2006

We have reached the halfway point in the 2006your car out. If there’s one generation
season of commercials. We kicked the season offthat can stand to laugh at itself, it’s the
with the studs and duds of the SuperbowlMTV generation.The accents will immediately get
commercials where we all loved the FedExyour attention and then you’ll laugh at the
cavemen and the Budweiser Streaker. But thishilarious antics they use to destroy the cars (they
season also featured the duds: the Nationwideeven haul out a trebuchet to launch one).
Fabio parody, the Diet Pepsi and Sierra Mist ads,“Representing Deutscheland, ya!”
the H3 Little Monster, the Sprint commercials, andYou can’t help but talk about them. Even
the annoying Taco Bell guy.Moving into the secondnon-VW enthusiasts are caught quoting the
half of 2006, the ads have somewhat reboundedcommercial.They’re also targeted correctly.
with plenty of studs; but there are also plenty ofThe ads sell the GTI – one of VW’s
duds still out there. Here are your Best and Worstsportier cars. And all of the other VW ads are
of 2006:Best – Sublymonal Advertisingwell targeted. The Passat and Jetta commercials
from Sprite The latest ad from Sprite has quicklywhere the cars get into accidents are very
become an issue of debate on many onlinememorable. It’s one thing to say that your
forums. People are loving it and others are hatingcar will let you walk away from an accident, but
it. Hit or miss advertising is very dependant onit’s another to actually show it. Great
what demographic you’re in. If you hate it,ads.Worst – Subservient Chicken from
it means you probably aren’t in their targetBurger King Originating at the end of 2005, these
market. The people who are loving this ad arecommercials carried over into 2006 with the
teens and young adults who see it as a very new“Big Buckin’ Chicken” ads. Like
and creative type of commercial. The people whothe VW commercials, these were done by Crispin
are hating it are the people who think it isPorter + Bogusky. But I guess you can’t
offensive and repulsive (the eye turning into awin them all right?Granted the website Crispin
mouth and the “Obey” sloganPorter did for Burger King was hailed as one of
slapped across the screen while someone snapsthe best viral marketing websites ever created,
their fingers in your face).But you know what?the entire “Subservient Chicken” ad
The people who hate it are talking about it. Thecampaign was a failure. The commercials of the
ad does its job with its target market and isrock band dressed in chicken suits, the guy on the
extreme enough to get the other markets talking.couch telling his chicken to change clothes, and the
It’s generating great buzz. And when you“buckin’ chicken” commercial
have a soft drink that already sells, you want thedidn’t get the message across. I
buzz.Best – Jimmy Fallon/Parker Poseydon’t even know what message that was
Dance from Pepsi Continuing with the soft drinkactually! It strayed completely away from the
theme, we move to Pepsi. This ad came out at“Have it Your Way” theme that has
the very start of 2006 and features the songbeen part of Burger King since the 70’s
Streamline by Newton. The ad was done by theand tried to include some shock value. Only, it fell
same guys who did the FedEx cavemanshort on the shock and did not get anyone talking
commercial. There’s no dialogue. All theyabout the ads. Bring back the Lunch Break
do is dance. So why is it a great commercial?commercials!Best – Gecko Interviews from
They cast the right people, they used the rightGEICO How can you top the old car insurance
song, and Pepsi plastered it everywhere. Thecommercials from GEICO? “I just saved a
song became a hit in pop culture almostbunch of money on my car insurance by
immediately. Critics of the commercial simplyswitching to GIECO.” It was drilled into our
dislike Jimmy Fallon and are immediately turnedbrains. Kids made punch lines out of the catch
off by his humor. They do not see thephrase on playgrounds around the country. You
straightforward advertising methods used.Do youcan’t top that kind of advertising.The new
know the test to see if a commercial is reallyGEICO commercials are going back to advertising
doing its job? When you see people walking downfundamentals: English accents and funny animals.
the street whistling the tune that’sThe Gecko has always been the mascot for
featured in the ad.Worst –GEICO, but the Martin Agency is capitalizing on
“Brilliant!” from Guinness Paper cutthe iconic value the Gecko brings to the company
outs with European accents. I get it. But they tryby making him the star of their commercials.
to appeal to low calorie beer drinkers while tryingSometimes you don’t even realize what
to be funny. It’s tough to deliver ahe’s saying. Sometimes you just focus on
message and be funny at the same time. Few adhow real the computerized Gecko looks. And
agencies pull it off, and, when they do, theysometimes you just laugh at his accent.
don’t use paper cut outs.Their low calorieWe’re Americans. We love funny animals
message is also wasted. It’s an attempt atwith accents.But there’s also strategy
staying competitive amidst the explosion of litebehind it. We all know the brand because of the
beers. Why are they trying to be competitivepast commercials with the catch phrase. Now
there? Guinness is synonymous with very stoutGEICO is focusing on selling the benefits of the
drinks. No lite beer drinker is going to becompany. They’ve built the Gecko up, and
persuaded by this.Best – Unpimp Yournow they want us to follow him. Genius
Auto from VW Featuring two German engineersadvertising.Heather Loftiss is President of Water
(one of which starred as the crazy German guyDesign Studio ( a Houston based advertising
in Armageddon), these commercials are fromagency. She also publishes The Customer
Crispin Porter + Bogusky and parody the latestConnection ( online newsletter.
MTV generation craze of “pimping”