There is plenty of saturation in the television ad industry. With so many viewers watching TV around the clock each day, it is impossible not to flip through channels and find an interesting or funny ad playing for your favorite toilet paper. Some are memorable. And some become memes, with a jingle or a punch line forever etched in our cultural lexicon. In other words, great marketing!
So, what makes for a great commercial that will boost a company until its brand eventually morphs or even outlive the brand or company itself? We geeks have compiled a list of our favorites from the last half-century. For five of them, we dive into what makes each piece effective and why it became a cultural phenomenon. Warning: this post may be extremely nostalgic.
1. Mac vs. PC (series)
The “Get a Mac” campaign has easily become one of the most recognizable series of television advertisements. Every episode follows the same template: two men, one introduces himself as a PC and the other as a MAC, in front of a completely white background who act out humorous scenarios in which the two computers are compared with each other. Simplicity and cleanliness are some of the most descriptive words to describe the Apple brand and these commercials have achieved just that, which has kept their image strong and consistent. It has stirred much debate whether Apple is going about advertising their brand in a mean way, forcing PC to respond with the less successful “I’m a PC” campaign. In my opinion, that is the point when you know as a company that you have intimidated the competitor past their comfort zone because they know you are doing something right. In this case, Apple has combined the essential pieces in making a series of highly successful promotions by using humor, the competitor’s weaknesses and a clean projection of the branding making any of these spots instantly recognizable and memorable.
2. Old Spice – The man your man could smell like
Last year, Old Spice launched the fastest growing online viral campaign ever. Starring in the series, Isaiah Mustafa, former NFL wide receiver and current actor has become an icon for the Old Spice brand as well as anyone online looking for a good laugh. This is another unbeatable combination that this company has taken advantage of. The dialog and persona of the campaign perfectly matches what a man’s cologne commercial needs to stand out in a highly competitive market. Among the many awards this has won, the combination of well-executed television marketing, social media campaign and YouTube takeover prove this spot to remain a part of popular culture for a long while.
3. Tootsie Pop
I don’t know about you, but the famous question “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” will forever be ingrained in my mind. This has to be one of the most well known unanswered questions in human history! The brand’s popularity has stayed strong since the commercial debuted in 1970. The animation is simple, not perfect and a style that proves itself impossible to forget. Although one guy by the name of “The Lollipop” claimed it took him 1,327 licks to get to the yummy center, the question still stands unanswered. Maybe if some of us geeks get some downtime, we can hold our own experiment to find the answer! See, right away Tootsie has sold xiik at least a whole bag of Tootsie Pops just for making that dang commercial!
4. Wendy’s – “Where’s the beef?”
Starting off as a generic catch phrase in the US and Canada, “Where’s the beef?” originally translated to questioning the substance of an idea, event or product. But after Wendy’s creatively transformed the slogan into their own, promoting their big burger patties, several spin-offs and references forced their way to popular culture, which spread the word like wildfire. Commercials are short, concise and straight to the point. We can learn a lot by noticing how just three words said over and over can settle in someone’s mind and never let them forget where they can find “the beef.” This may be one of the most popular commercials ever to come into existence featuring only three elderly ladies. Maybe sex doesn’t always sell.
5. “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”
First aired only on the radio, the “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial did not do so well. But, the agency was finally persuaded to film a commercial of the song to be performed on a hill top in Rome, Italy, where a large group of multicultural teenagers lip synced the song to promote a message of hope and love. Smart move on Coca-Cola’s part! For a company to show their support of the global community in a way like this is creative, moving and extremely affective. Also, whenever you’re able to get a popular song written about your brand, there is a good chance that brand will be remembered through the song. It is my prediction that more than half of everyone who watches this Coke commercial will quickly recognize the song again in the future. It’s true – you can’t beat the real thing.
While searching for commercials we thought to be the best, we also asked our Twitter and Facebook fans what their opinions were. Here is a list including several more equally awesome concepts that deserved to be shared!
McDonalds Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan
What are the commercials you remember most? Let us know in the comments section!
