Vanished Like A Wrinkly Ninja! (Best / Worst TV Adverts)

Member Name: utero

Product:	Best / Worst TV Adverts
Date:	04/09/05 (2069 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some funny moments, sublime advertising, Great to look at

Disadvantages: For every great ad there are ten naff ones

Have you been hurt in an accident? Think you’re entitled to compensation but worried about legal fees? Then don’t worry as here at The Accident Guys we aim to get you money, sue the hell out of the other guy and we both come away laughing!

“I called Seafaring Finance, they were helpful, didn’t babble me with science and after I cleared my debt I had enough left over for a holiday and a new car. Of course I’ll still be in debt but hey it’s a vicious circle ain’t it!”

This style of advert will sound familiar to you if you have Sky. There are a ton of companies who throw their advertising around the channels on a daily basis. There’s no escaping it, you just have to live it despite all of them being incredibly naff and incredibly stupid.

But TV commercials don’t have to be like this. There is another form where the advert can be an amusing diversion or a thing of beauty.

Here are some of my personal faves from recent times.

MERCEDES BENZ A-CLASS

Every day life feels like a scattered memory. You’re in the rat race and there’s no clarity, everything’s a blur from 9-5. This advert for the A-class is one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. It’s blurred style and staggered imagery sum up a mood perfectly. The message is that you can escape it with the peace and tranquillity offered by driving an A-Class car. I find the advert incredibly soothing thanks to its haunting images and soundtrack. The ‘Space To Think’ advert can be viewed online at the following: -

www.gorgeous.co.uk

You can find it under the archive of Frank Budgen.

STELLA ARTOIS

The Stella ad’s are incredibly cinematic and normally end with some great punchline where a heroic deed is ignored to get to the Stella Artois. There’s an example at the website mentioned above under the same section. I find them all quite amusing but also wonderfully shot. They really are short films rather than commercials but they work in selling the product because they are memorable.

ORANGE

If you’ve seen a film at the cinema recently then you’ve probably come across the Orange ad’s. They see the Orange Film Funding Board in action listening to pitches from some recognisable faces. Patrick Swayze brings an idea called ‘The Silent Hunter. Mini Me brings them a film with stature. Generally they end in the board ruining the idea by throwing in phone ideas and a rip-off of a well-known film phrase. I find them all quite amusing and actually look forward to them when seeing a film.

http://www.orange.co.uk/entertainment/film/tvads/ index.html

But of course there are also ad’s that annoy the hell out of me. The one’s for loans, personal accident etc just annoy everybody. But there are others.

MARKS & SPENCERS

This is not just steak. This is Scottish raised peppercornblahblah steak. These are not just potatoes. These are the finest potatoes grown from pixie dust and are quite majestic. You now the ad’s, they’re backed by that seventies music and a female voice that sounds like you’re best friends mother trying to come on to you while cooking. It just annoys me no end, they’re potatoes, its steak! Ok we get it, Marks and Spencers sell food that’s a little bit pricier but it’s classy. Thanks for reminding us!

SAFESTYLE UK

“I SAID YOU BUY ONE, YOU GET ONE FREE!….I SAID YOU BUY ONE YOU GET ONE FREE!”

Who the hell is this guy, I hope he’s not a comedian as he’s not funny. The only saving grace of these window ad’s is that they must have paid this chap enough to let him buy a wig or at least a decent haircut. His full on northern brashness just makes me want to reach in and out him through one of those windows he’s promoting.

DIRECT LINE

Me and my identical twin brother both had the same accident. I didn’t pay because I was insured with Direct Line; my brother wasn’t and had to fork out a lot of cash. You’d think this bloke would tell his brother to go with Direct Line. He can’t be a good brother if he likes seeing his sibling shelling out loads of money every time a mishap happens. Judging by the smug look on his face I’d say he enjoys it.

DFS

“There’s half price on kissing, there’s half price on touching…..” says the man with a voice like velvet but also sounds like he’s trying to get into your pants at a singles bar. These DFS ad’s are all naff. They show their plush sofas in settings that the regular workingman could never afford. It’s all too quaint for my tastes and DFS just tread out the same line every time.

I’m sure there are loads more TV ad’s that I love and loathe. I have to say that 95% of the time they’ve never made me get up and buy the product. But the best one’s stick in your mind. The A-Class one would definitely make me want to sample the car if I was in the market for one. The orange ad’s would definitely make me think about moving to Orange in the future.

But let me know what ad’s annoy you!

Summary: Some of my love and loathed adverts