We love them and we hate them. Ads and commercials. We hate them because they interrupt our entertainment, but we love them because (let’s be honest), sometimes they are downright entertaining.
We all have those ads that we remember, that are our favorites and that we never quite forget. Often, our favorite and most memorable ads are those that become culturally iconic, and make advertising memories for many. That probably is not all that surprising. So just for fun, let’s take a look at what are considered to be some of the most memorable ads of recent years. See if you agree.
Ads Worth Remembering
1. Not surprisingly, some of the most well-loved ads of the decade were birthed as Superbowl ads. One of the tops of that chart was E-trade’s 2009 “Dancing Monkey†ad, in which a couple of guys in a garage make a monkey dance to music. What made it a hit was that it openly poked fun at the absurd cost of Superbowl Advertising with the tagline, “…we just wasted two million dollars…†and ends with, “What are you doing with your money?â€
2. Quizno’s Rats. These ads were memorable probably for the reason that they rather disgusted us, especially in a food-related ad. Gross, but memorable and effective.
3. “Eat More Chickinâ€. Who didn’t feel for those spelling-handicapped cows pushing their top competitors to save their lives? Even those of us who don’t live near a Chick-fil-A can recall these commercials.
4. Budweiser “Wazzup…?â€. This ad was technically a decade cross-over event, but it is one that was all too memorable, and the catch-phrase sticks in heads and is shared by many to this day (much to our chagrin, perhaps!). It’s an ad so memorable, it gave birth to the next entry.
5. “What Are You Doing?†Poking fun at its own creation, in 2001 Budwesier introduced the yuppy-version of “Wazzup, †bridging the gap between the classes and underlining the fact that they are a product for the masses.
6. Swear Jar. Finally, another bud favorite proves itself, and shows up again and again in polls and lists of favorite and most memorable ads. It is the Bud light “Swear Jar†in which an office attempt to improve language goes awry once a case of shared Bud Light is promised with the proceeds of a quarter donation jar employees are required to pay into every time they swear at work.
These six ads represent just a spattering of the most popular and remembered advertisements of the early 2000’s. no doubt you can think of plenty that probably deserve equal billing on this list, as we all can.
Maryellen Ward is most interested in providing reliable information about accredited colleges and universities that offer a masters degree in advertising.
