the thought

Kathleen Destino

In an earlier blog, I wrote about the negative perceptions surrounding television advertising. Essentially, according to a Mintel International study, people are just not “fans” of the medium. It got me thinking about commercials in general, and I had to ask myself (as well as the office) - is it really that bad? Aren't there some commercials that we really like and look forward to seeing?

So I asked myself first, and concluded that I happen to really like plenty of television ads - especially the ones that make me laugh. My better half gets a kick out of watching me laugh out loud - even at the “bad” funny TV commercials.

Below is a list of some of my favorite funny (to me) commercials:

Sonic
Two guys talk about pretty much nothing while waiting in the drive-thru.

Capital One “NO” commercials
The commercials with David Spade – I especially crack up at the red-head guy who gets the brunt of the beatings. (I know what you are thinking -- why are you admitting to this?)

Budweiser
The Magical Beer Fridge. View it on You Tube.

Geico
Newlyweds live in a tiny house for a reality television show. This is “NOT AWESOME.” View it on You Tube.

I then asked around the office, intrigued by what TV advertising stuck in other people’s brains. Here is a short list:

Volkswagen
Passat - Low Ego Emissions – People with megaphones announce their egos. View.
GTI - German Scientists trying to speak hip hop. View.

I received an email that said the following:
“I love the commercial where the business owner is trying to make a presentation and he's really small and the old-fashioned bankers are looking at him through a magnifying glass and accidentally set him on fire. Of course, I can't remember the name of the bank.” (Capital One again) View.

Ameriquest
“I’m Her Daddy” - Part of Ameriquest's "Don't judge too quickly" campaign. View.

I had a lot of laughs taking another look at all of these commercials on You Tube . It’s amazing how many videos you can find there!

Besides giggling at my desk, this exercise reinforced my notion that not all advertising is created equal and certainly not all television commercials produce negative feelings or thoughts. If a commercial has an emotional purpose (such as making someone laugh, cry, or think) and is perceived as being produced with that purpose and quality in mind, viewers will be less likely to harbor negative feelings toward the advertisement.