COMM 506 "Good" Commercials

     When I say "good" commercials what I mean is commercials that appeal to me personally, and have a lasting effect. These are commercials that I remember, and while I may not go out right away and buy it, there is definitely the chance that it could wind up buying it sometime if wanted.

First we have the various Simpson's Butterfinger commercials. These ran for a long time, from 1989 to only a couple of years ago. As a die hard Simpson's fan, I'm pretty much hooked on whatever media in which they are displayed, and these commercials are no exception. All of these commercials are funny to the average person, and even funnier to a Simpson's fan. It has a memorable catchphrase - "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger" - and makes the viewer want a Butterfinger for them self and no one else.

This is an Old Spice commercial from about 5 years ago. It is Bruce Campbell playing piano and singing "Hungry Like The Wolf" while attractive women get closer and closer to him. It is funny to see an icon like Campbell singing "Hungry Like The Wolf" - a hair metal song - to a jazzy, mellower tempo. THe point is if you wear Old Spice, you will become classier and attract women.

This was a commercial that aired after the Superbowl this year. It is for the restaurant chain Chipotle. It is a simple message: go back to the start. They are talking about the meat that goes into their food; instead of using animals that have been raised in crowded barns and fed hormones and other types of chemicals. The commercial shows a farmer realizing that he should go back to the way it used to be, and changing everything around. It is set to Willie Nelson covering Coldplay's "The Scientist," which works really well, because the message of the song is "going back to the start." This commercial stuck with me because of the simplicity of it.

This is an interesting commercial. It is for Google Chrome, and it showcases The Johnny Cash Project. This commercial stuck with me for a few reasons. First of all, I really like Johnny Cash, and I thought it was cool seeing him recognized on a wide scale and hearing his song in a commercial. Secondly, the song. It's about how nothing can hold his body down, which is true of Cash; he is timeless and will never be forgotten. Also, the commercial showcases the versatility of Google Chrome.

Lastly, I chose this ad because whenever I think about using a GPS now, I hear "Mayhem" telling me to go the other way. These Allstate commercials are funny, and a little over-the-top, but not so outlandish that they could never happen to a regular person. I think they make an impact with people who see them, and if someone had been in a similar accident, they could relate even more and think about switching to their insurance.