Wednesday, December 26, 2007

2007: A Year in Advertising

Best of...
Top 10...
Top 5...
A Year-in-Review...

This is a collection of what I could find on the Internet and then a final Best of Strategy list at the end for all you plannerly types.

TIME did a pretty good summation of TV Ads from 2007:
  1. Dave and Oprah Super Bowl Ad
  2. Adidas: "Impossible is Nothing"
  3. Gatorade: "Thief"
  4. Dove: "Onslaught"
  5. Applie iPhone: "Meredith"
  6. American Express: "Tina Fey"
  7. Coca-Cola: "Happiness Factory - the movie"
  8. Dos Equis: "The Most Interesting Man in the World"
  9. Doritos: "Live the Flavor" (CGC)
  10. Nationwide Insurance: "Rollin' VIP"
Top Viral Videos by TIME are:
  1. Leave Britney Alone!
  2. The Landlord (Will Ferrell and daughter)
  3. Miss South Carolina Teen USA
  4. Hillary, 1984
  5. Prison Inmates' "Thriller"
  6. I Ran So Far
  7. Can't Tase This (mashup)
  8. Dan Rather Collar Up (really?)
  9. Clark & Michael (of Superbad genius)
  10. Daft Hands
Top 5 Viral Video Ads by MarketingVOX:
  1. Cadbury - Gorilla Drummer
  2. Smirnoff - Green Tea Party
  3. Ray-Ban - Catch Sunglasses
  4. Blendtec - Will it Blend?
  5. Lynx/Axe - Bom Chicka Wah Wah
A collection of AdWeeks' Best Spots (of the month) 2007 (in no particular order and definitely pared down):
  • Apple - "Tech Support" (Mac v PC)
  • Coca-Cola - "Videogame"
  • Rembrandt - "Kissing"
  • Pepsi - "Pinball"
  • Adidas - "Gilbert Arenas" (Impossible is Nothing campaign)
  • BMW - "Feats"
  • Starburst - "Berries & Creme"
  • Absolut - "Protest"
  • JC Penney - "The Heart"
  • Saturn Vue - "Money"
  • Yellowpages.com - "Tanning Salon"
  • EBay - "Foxhunt"
These lists are by no means comprehensive when you consider the creativity in thinking and 'strategy' that the industry was blessed with this year. I would like to draw attention to some other campaigns and make a new list. The first seven are insightfully creative, the last three are strategic genius. So here it is, the 10 Best of Strategy List:
  • Apple: iPhone ads
  • Rembrandt "Brilliant Mouth"
  • Dove "Onslaught"
    • ***watch Rye Clifton's parody here
  • Axe "Bom Chicka Wah Wah"
  • Cadillac "Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit."
  • EBay "Shop Victoriously"
  • Doritos "Live the Flavor"
  • Radiohead "Name Your Price" strategy for In Rainbows
  • Samsung "Charging Stations"
  • Simpsonized 7-Elevens
My valid attempt to scan as many of my favorite blogs I'm sure has failed to capture all of the memorably strategic campaigns of the year. Input is appreciated; this list is by no means complete or final. Happy New Year!
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at 3:02 PM
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1 comment:

Becca said...

Much as I disliked the hourly iPhone 'news' leading up to its release, their ads really did capitalize on the strengths of the product. What other phone could have defined itself by its display and intuitive use? Definitely not my little Nokia, but then again it was free... And the new ads with 'real' people telling their iPhone stories help give Apple a more friendly personality.
I love eBay's Shop Victoriously campaign because it put the auction experience in a new perspective for me. Winning an auction really is winning a competition of sorts, and somehow I never saw it like that. So I liked that their strategy was surprising, but in a truthful way that reflects how consumers interact with eBay.
One strategy I'm still not sure about is the 7-Eleven/Simpsons venture. I think it was clever, bringing part of a popular animated show to life, but I wonder if it had any lasting effect on either brand. I can't see any but the really dedicated fans driving out of their way to visit one of the altered 7-Elevens, and I'm curious if any regular customers were inconvenienced by the transformed stores and Simpsons products. Basically I don't see how either brand benefited long-term, but perhaps the short term publicity was enough to get people talking. Sometimes that's all you want.

December 27, 2007 at 4:03 PM

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