Favorite Commercials, Pt. 2

After reading through Kristen's post, I decided to compile some of my favorite commercials as well. Here is what I came up with:

Modern

"Cog" (Honda Accord)
"Isn't it nice when things just... work?"

This one is longer than your average commercial (2 minutes), and I have never actually seen it on TV—just the internet—but it really is something to behold. The whole ad is one continuous shot, and everything you see is real. There is no trick photography, and minimal CG. The ironic thing about the tagline at the end is that it actually took 606 individual takes to get everything to work just right. To read more about the painstaking process, check out this article. (Video)

"Cat Herders" (EDS)
"You see the movies, you hear the stories... I'm livin' a dream."

One of the more memorable ads to run during the Super Bowl in recent years, it's the attention to detail that makes this one so great. On top of the cinematic production values, we get cowboys doing things out of character like trying to get cats out of trees, winding balls of string, and using lint rollers. I couldn't ask for much more out of a commercial. (Video)

"Monkey Business" (CareerBuilder.com)
"It's just that... I work with a bunch of monkeys."

Having worked at some pretty lame places in the past, I can totally empathize with this guy, stuck in a go-nowhere job at Yeknom Industries (get it?). Plus, there is pretty much nothing funnier than monkeys dressing as and acting like humans. (Video)


Retro

"The Fun is Back" (Atari 2600)
"The fun is back, oh yesiree, it's the 2600 from A-TAR-I."

Whenever someone mentions the Atari 2600, like one of Pavlov's Dogs I have been conditioned to immediately think "for under 50 bucks (50 bucks!)", thanks to seeing this commercial non-stop while growing up in the late 80's. "Rap" music has never appealed to me as much as it did back then. (Video)

LifeCall Emergency Response
"I've fallen... and I can't get up!"

Not only did the unfortunate old lady from this ad become a pop culture icon in her day, she also proved to be the inspiration for countless other blossoming senior citizen actors that followed. Without her, I'm not sure we would have gotten to experience the crazy Cash 4 Gold lady. Also, I'd like to give a special nod to the old man "having... chest pains", as I feel like he gets unfairly overlooked. (Video)


Hall of Shame

Energy Hogs
"There's no insulation, boss! It's hog heaven!"

Here is one of the commercials that prompts us to hit mute or change the channel every time it comes on, as Kristen alluded to in her post. Quite the opposite of monkeys, there is nothing more annoying than pigs acting like humans, especially when they are poorly articulated puppets with exaggerated accents. (Video)