Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Great Adverts of 2011

Well, it's that time of year again - time to reflect back on the year that was. Even though I am one of the millions who has a DVR and faithfully record all my programs, I do occasionally stop fast forwarding through the commercials when one of these gems comes on.

The Subaru ad where the dad hands the keys to his little daughter who later morphs into a teenager before driving off. It's not so much the poignancy of the commercial (as I'm not a parent), but the fact that the little girl looks so much like my 7 year old niece Gwen that makes me pause each time. I also discovered this interesting bit of trivia when reading about the commercial, "(Interesting side note: the two girls who star in the ad are real-life sisters and the “dad” is the real-life father to both girls.)" How cool is that? A commercial with a touch of reality - something you rarely see these days.

a link to the article: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/08/new-subaru-ad-promotes-brands-safety-captures-teen%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cfirst-time-out%E2%80%9D-driving-moment.html

the Volkswagon Passat ad with the little boy trying to be Darth Vader. So much has been said about this commercial already, that I'm not entirely sure I have anything original to add, other than to say I think it's a classic, and I hope it's preserved in the Commercials Hall of Fame or whatever they have for memorable advertisements.

the Toyota Prius ad designed by Saatchi & Saatchi has got to be one of the most clever, eye-catching, detail-oriented commercials I've ever seen. I defy anyone to fast forward through it the first time they see it since they'd be depriving themself of a genuine work of cinematography. I'm not sure how they made this commercial, but I'm pretty sure a lot of humans had to work 'cheek to cheek' on this one. I am also a little partial to Toyota since our family currently owns two Priuses.

As far as CGI commercials go, I think the two best have got to be Target's commercial for Gwen Stefani's Harajuku line (I love Japanese looking products) and Ron Howard's commercial for Canon's Project Imagina8ion. Both are fun and cute and clever and all the other normal adjectives one applies to such a work of imagination.

Even though I live in Ohio, I've always had a soft spot for California (and had dreams of living there someday when I was a teenager), so I quite like the travelogue commercial currently airing. It's celebrity packed and shows a good cross section of culture and activities offered throughout the state. I especially like how Betty White (who has certainly made quite a comeback these last few years) worms her way into this one as well being shown on a golf cart.

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