Top 5 Funny Creative Marketing Commercials

In a world where commercials are becoming obsolete on television thanks to DVR, plenty of people still enjoy a good 30 second laugh. I’ve seen my fair share over the years, but there are five that I will always remember (oh, and these are not in any order):

#1 Jockey

Awhile back I had just returned from playing some tennis with friends and a commercial was on television that caught my attention. The first still picture had two tennis balls in a fence. Originally I thought it was a tennis star hitting 1st serves like 150mph, but then then were tons of pictures and videos of watermelons, sausage, etc., until the final one shows a pair of tires hanging from a tree.

It wasn’t until this picture that I realized that it looked like male genitals, which of course made me start laughing, and then “JOCKEY” faded into the screen. Up until that point there wasn’t anything that said Jockey, and since there wasn’t a narrative, the end result was hilarious.

#2 Ask for More: Pepsi

A young boy travels to Tibet in search of spirituality and life’s clarity from the Dalai Lama. This is the preface of the commercial’s opening scene as the young boy supposedly backpacks his way up to the door that will change his life.

In the beginning, the Tibetans try to teach him martial arts, several times looking like Mr. Miagi teaching the Karate Kid (I’m sure there was some sort of play on it). He doesn’t do very well in the beginning, but he always wonders what the symbol means on each guy’s forehead.

The commercial fast forwards to the young boy all grown up and going through the final phases of his training. When he completes his final task, all members pull out Pepsis and drink to his accomplishment. Suddenly he looks up at the Dalai Lama and sees the symbol above his head. Then, when he looks down at the Pepsi, he notices the lid looks like the symbol and crushes the can with his head. Absolutely priceless!

#3 Direct TV: Take Your Pick 2014-2015

Probably one of the funniest creative marketing ads ever involves Direct TV. They play on a negative domino effect that occurs if you don’t start using their service. For instance, the first one that comes to mind is the following:

Top 5 Super Bowls Ads of All Time

If you ask someone in their twenties what the top 5 Super Bowl ads of all time are, the response is going to be different from someone in their forties. Why? Outside the amount of Super Bowl ads the younger generation has seen, these ads are built around creating marketing design. Their goal is to connect with the right group of people, which essentially creates the most money for the brand.

While creative marketing make sense, these top 5 Super Bowl ads might not make sense to you…because they’re mine:

#5 The Snickers Celebrity Marketing Campaign

Without running to Google for the answer; do you know who won the Super Bowl XLIV in 2010? It was the New Orleans Saints 31-17 over the Indianapolis Colts. It was a storied game that brought Drew Brees into the “elite” status and Peyton Manning into controversy as the QB that had to go up against Rex Grossman to win a Super Bowl.

However you looked at the game itself, 2010 brought a wonderful campaign to the forefront. It revolved around Snickers and how taking one bite can get you out of your “funk,” and back in the game. Take a look and you will see Jamie “I think that was his name,” playing a game of backyard football with some friends, but he’s running around like Betty White. Definitely a classic!

#4 The New Pepsi Can: Cindy Crawford Ad

I was 17 years old back when this ad was played during the 1992 Super Bowl (btw, Dallas defeated Buffalo 52-17 in this one). It was two young kids playing around a wooden fence, across from the gas station, when Cindy Crawford pulls up to get a Pepsi out of the vending machine.

At the time, Cindy Crawford was the world’s biggest super model, so the commercial had these two young lads googling over her every move. The background music was The Hollies: Just One Look from 1964, but remade for the commercial. At the end of the commercial, the punchline came from one of the kids that said; “Is that a great new Pepsi can or what.” I remember getting a huge kick out of this one.

Top 5 Creative Marketing Slogans

Connecting with an audience is the main staple behind creative marketing. Companies around the world look for clever ways to become etched in the brains of society. Smaller brands continuously look for ways to reach the peak of the mountain, while those at the top try to figure ways to stay there.

Over the years we’ve seen Coca-Cola pull at the heart-strings of families, while Pepsi tried to provide a modern day excitement. Nike spends hundreds of millions of dollars on celebrity athletes like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, to sell shoes and apparel. This entices the younger generation to be life-long lovers of their product, and over the years, we’ve seen it pay dividends ten-fold.

In fact, here are 5 creating marketing ads society will never forget:

#5 Weightwatchers

Years ago, before Weightwatchers went the celebrity route to entice people to lose weight; they offered a variety of commercials. One of the best was when they had a picture of two doors with the Weightwatchers brand in the middle. The door on the left was the “ENTRANCE,” which was made for an overweight individual to walk through comfortably.

If you looked to the right, there was an “EXIT” door, which was about a third of the size. The perception was that if you joined Weightwatchers, you would be able to fit through the skinny door by the time you completed the program. Thousands of people joined and experienced positive results, and Weightwatchers became one of the most popular weight loss companies in the United States.

#4 FedEx

One way to grab an audience’s attention is by making them laugh. FedEx was able to do just that when it released a photo of one of its semis hauling a trailer. Granted, this was no ordinary semi, because you could see the inside of it. Do you remember what it is carrying? Yep, two UPS delivery trucks. Definitely a creative marketing ad that captured the attention of UPS.

#3 Careerbuilder.com

Think back to The Great Depression and stories of people on Wall Street committing suicide by jumping out the windows of their offices. It’s something the elderly might have personally experienced, and the young crowds were still able to understand it due to various movies and the Internet.

The picture CareerBuilder used was a bird’s eye view of a metro bus parked below a building in New York City. However, instead of looking at the advertisements on the sides of the bus, there is one on top of it that reads; “Don’t Jump. Careerbuilder.com.”

During the time this photo was released, it was quite the controversial piece. The perception was you didn’t have to commit suicide when you are at the lowest point of your life. Why? Well, because CareerBuilder had plenty of jobs to get you back on your feet.

30 tools that no designer can live without

Designers are extremely busy people. Fact. Not only do they have to make time to find inspiration for their next project, manage feedback, attend meetings, and communicate with their clients, they also have to find the time to actually sit down and do the work.

Let’s not forget the time and effort they have to put into mocking up an idea, creating a visual for sharing or keeping abreast of modern design trends. The role of a designer is so much more than just ‘colouring in’.

To ease the workload of time-poor designers, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best software, apps, tools, skills, websites and resources that no designer can live without. Each of these tools has been carefully selected for its ability to help you streamline your work, find inspiration easily, show off your amazing design skills, and make collaboration easier.

We’ve broken the guide down into the 10 key areas so you can instantly find what you’re looking for — you are busy people after all. Check it out and feel free to let us know if we’ve missed any off the list.

Hardware

If you’re serious about design, there are some essential pieces of kit you will need. We have listed the top 3 pieces of hardware for designers below.

iMac or MacBook

Strictly speaking, now that most design software is available on both PC and Mac, it doesn’t particularly matter which platform you choose. However, the Mac’s pedigree, its powerful and intuitive OS and its built-in support for design peripherals make it the overwhelming favourite for design professionals. Did we mention they also look great in any creative workspace?