Audio-Technica – “Audio 911”
Audio-Technica knew what they were doing when they brought in Marquese “NonStop” Scott for their Solid Bass headphones ad. The brand is a perfect match for the dance phenomenon whose Pumped Up Kicks Dubstep video has over 35 million YouTube views. Scott and his dancing have already been featured on the Ellen Show and CBS but it was only natural for NonStop to team up with a bass heavy brand like Audio-Technica. We like how subtly and cleverly the brand is used in the Audio 911 commercial. The headphones are perfect as a spoof defibrillator in the E.R., but it’s the music (dubstep to be precise) that is needed to bring Marquese back to life after having “no beat” left in his body. At over 3.5 minutes, this advertisement is meant for the web. There’s a clever introductory plot, but the focus of the video is on Marquese Scott’s dancing, a smart move considering that’s what has made him a success. One YouTube comment sums it up: “Wow, I didn’t even know this was a commercial.”
Dallas ADDYs 2012 – “The Mural”
There was a whole series of ads for this year’s Dallas ADDY awards, each one hilariously “ad obsessed.” It’s not surprising that the advertisements for an ad industry award show were entirely on point, but Dallas outdid themselves. Take a look for yourself at the array of disturbing depictions of our fellow advertising minds here.
We had to narrow it down however and the dad in “The Mural” is just too good … Or too wrong might be more like it. A mom finds her adorable toddler scribbling an interpretive masterpiece on the wall. When daddy comes in the room, we expect him to be peeved about the mess but, while the father is definitely disappointed, he isn’t upset about the wall. He approaches the child seriously, berating his sloppiness and lack of talent at 4 years old. The poor boy loves his daddy but, alas, has no knowledge of print advertising concerns like kerning, ligature, and typeface and so the intensely sarcastic father is sure his son has no future. “Keep it up and you’ll end up a copywriter,” he says. Ouch.
Another gem from the series is “The Sneeze.” It’s a straightforward depiction of a an ad-obsessed woman who desperately needs a tissue (we repeat, desperately) but the only paper she has is a napkin with mock-up notes scribbled all over. She continues to ride the bus, committed as she is, with snot dripping down past her mouth.
Hyundai Azera – “Modern Life”
Hyundai played it pretty low key for the Super Bowl this year. Their Rocky themed ad didn’t receive much attention at all after Chevy, Honda, Kia and Volkswagen pulled out all the stops. This leads us to believe that rather than get lost in the circus of Super Bowl spots, Hyundai waited in the wings for a far less expected Academy Awards debut. They produced a clever and colorful pair of ads for Oscar night that beloved director Wes Anderson shot for the brand. The spots would have been underappreciated by a football audience but they’ve instead been applauded by the film-loving crowd of the Oscars. Both are beautifully shot in the director’s signature style. In “Modern Life,” Anderson’s uses his knack for scenes of perfectly orchestrated chaos to depict a father trying to prepare what looks like a five-course dinner in a house full of rambunctious kids and retro clutter. His wife calmly gives him instructions over the phone whilst a brood of creative children bang drums, slam doors and run around dressed like it’s Halloween. Pan to the serene driveway setting just outside where mom is relaxing in her Azera, pretending to be stuck in traffic as Hyundai muses that they may have made the new car a little too comfortable.
“Talk To My Car” is everything Anderson. We see all of the retro colors, childhood scenery and chopped-up-doll-house camera work for which Anderson is known. Classic imaginary machines like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s flying contraption, an underwater craft that also serves as a nod to Life Aquatic and a Knight Rider knockoff each play a part in this kitschy commercial for Hyundai’s Blue Link technology that allows drivers to live the dream and finally talk to our cars.
Miracle Whip – “The Village”
We think this brand’s self-aware approach to changing consumer opinion is the best way to go. The ad is a literary spoof on the Scarlett Letter, using the well-known fact that Miracle Whip lovers are often forced to be ashamed of their brand loyalty. Miracle Whip is a brand who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. After Stephen Colbert dissed the sweet and tangy mayo alternative, they bought every ad slot during an episode as if to say “We will not be ignored.” In their Oscar ad debut, Miracle Whip urges viewers to “keep an open mouth” but they also spark up the decades old debate over the differences between mayonaisse and Miracle Whip which is just as successful a tactic. So I could sit here and defend Miracle Whip for the ways it pairs with avocado and bologna like no other, but why fight with you, stubborn, judgmental, fatty-mayo-lover … when I could be at lunch?
Considering these game day ads cost upwards of $3 million, the automotive industry is either very desperate or doing better at the bank than they’ve led us to believe. Not only did most car companies release ad teasers in advance of the game but Kia, Volkswagen and Honda also released extended, 90-second versions of their game day spots for YouTube. More is more. Afterall, it is the Super Bowl.
We weren’t amused by the Acura ad featuring Seinfeld and Leno which just seemed like NBC had too many bored celebrities on their hands and Kia’s over-the-top ad was only a smidge of an improvement. The saving grace for their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach was it’s self-awareness made most obvious by the 5-HOUR TEASER featuring scantily-clad Adriana Lima waving a flag in slow motion. The full-length ad depicted a less-than ingenious dream sequence (rhino excluded) with every simplistic, man-pleasing staple thrown in. For us the winner of Super Bowl 2012 wasn’t the NY Giants, it was the Internet. The ads circulated virally, the 
Volkswagen’s teaser/extended ad combo was interesting, risky and almost as cute as Honda’s … almost. “The Bark Side” raised our interest in a reprise of last year’s Darth Vader hit from the auto company and it also turned out to be a very necessary tool in tying Volkswagen’s two incongruous commercials together. The Volkswagen Beetle in the Super Bowl spot motivates Bolt the dog to get up off of that thing and get in shape. It’s a classic, cute ad, which happens to be playing in the intergalactic Star Wars Cantina where a motley crew (much preferred to the aged band in Kia’s ad) is watching the game and rating the ads. The dubious Darth Vader looms nearby and doesn’t take kindly to hearing his ad come in second to Bolt the dog. The company took a leap making such a self-aware spot, but it worked in the rankings and also in the push for repeat viewings, if only to better understand the ad.
Old Spice was the funniest, most creative ad in circulation all week. In case you missed it, Wieden+Kennedy ingeniously combined two Proctor & Gamble products into one ad – twice! Terry Crews is back, he smells like power (lol) and he’s selling Old Spice in typically mundane ads for Charmin and Bounce now too! This random and ridiculous ad was by far our favorite from the web this week. Having Old Spice’s Terry Crews crash other, more run-of-the-mill P & G product spots made for an incredibly laughable and quotable advertisement. Old Spice pretty much owns the viral ad market and the added touch from Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job continues to direct Crews right into hilarity.
Chevy took the importance of virality to heart and created a teaser and web-based ad with the band OK Go in the driver’s seat. OK Go has had huge success releasing quirky music videos on YouTube. The video for their song “Here It Goes Again” had more than 52 million views and was the most favorited music video on the web before it was removed from their site. Chevy capitalized on the band’s specialized web success by letting OK Go create a music video using their car as a myriad of instruments. It’s another fun music video for the band and a fresh form of advertisement for Chevy. Everyone’s a winner.
The next hot viral hit this week comes from the Brazilian language school CCAA, encouraging young men to learn English because otherwise how will they communicate with the throng of Megan Fox clones on Megan Fox island? Two ship wrecked young men find themselves on the kind of island all sorts of dreams are made of but, alas, they’re exiled once the babes disappointedly realize they can’t communicate and what’s worse is where they wash up next: an island full of nutty Mike Tysons. It’s hilarious and whether or not talking to Megan Fox motivates people to learn English, this viral ad has been making people laugh and share internationally all week.
No one will argue that Twitter has a concrete place at the front of social media marketing. They’ve changed modern communication and in the past three years they’ve hired over 600 people, but when it came to marketing themselves, Twitter took a deliciously cheesy behind-the-times approach and released a recruitment video that stunk in the best way possible. The joke is that Twitter CEO Dick Costolo may or may not have asked his team to produce a video about the joys of working at Twitter. Regardless, employees Ian Padgham and Jeremy Biggs bring back a dated, cheesy production filled with flubs and awkward moments that turns out to be really effective in convincing us that Twitter is a ridiculously silly work environment.
The most heart-warming ad of the week award goes to Energizer who teamed up with Filipino non-profit Manikako to produce an oh-so-sweet video about classic toys falling in love. Manikako funds art workshops for less fortunate Filipino children and this ad does a wonderful job highlighting the importance of love and play. 
We love creative, new tactics and think that First Bank hit the mark this week with their non-ad Super Bowl ad encouraging viewers to take a bathroom break. We thought that was what the football part was for, but now, when we see this commercial, we’ll know what to do. The viewers initial reaction is a frozen stare off with the sponsor, wondering what will happen next. No, nothing? Ok, next time we’ll feel free to go pee.