Recently, I was reading an article on Flavorpill.com about commercial ad-campaigns that have overstayed their welcome.  Yes, the Energizer Bunny has gotten a bit long in the tooth, and sure those Geico Cavemen are just irritating (although, as you’ll see below, I'm quite fond of two of Geico’s other seemingly myriad campaigns).  It made me think, though – what commercials have I especially enjoyed of late?

I mean, I might be one of the only people I know who have a DVR device yet ends-up watching the commercials more than half the time.  So, here – for you - are some that have particularly tickled my fancy.

It should be noted that not one of these commercials has driven me to use the product being advertised (although in one there is an ancillary product I crave) - but they sure do enhance my television experience. 

Dos Equis – I love, love, love these commercials.  "The Most Interesting Man Alive" is a great campaign because of its gritty intentional mid-century Secret Agent Man vibe.  Of course, I don't drink Mexican beer - or American beer, or Belgian beer for that matter - but I derive a lot of refreshment from these commercials, so it's all good.  

Allstate – Dean Winters has been one of my favorite actors since he simultaneously starred on both Law & Order: SVU and OZ (in very different roles).  He's just got that innocent "Who?  Me?" look that makes the casting of him in the role of "Mayhem" ideal.

Volkswagen - Jacob turned me onto this commercial and it totally cracked me up.  Who among us (of my vintage) didn't try using the Force on bullies, parents, siblings, and inanimate objects?  In their ads for the the 2012 Passat, the German automaker tapped into the Gen X kid in all of us. 

Geico – Another one of Jacob's faves, this entire series always elicits a chuckle from me (especially the one with the farmer yelling at the woodchucks).  The "Two to Tango" commercial, though, somehow reminds me of my family.  I'll let the Freudians figure that one out...

Geico – The Geico Gecko is pretty genius.  He's cute, he's erudite, he's got an accent that can be narrowed-down only to somewhere in the British Commonwealth (my guess is that he hails from the Caribbean or New Zealand).  But this commercial where he's mistakenly identified as "Stanley" is one of my favorites (along with the one where he gets sucked-up the vacuum tube). 

Chanel – It’s no surprise that Chanel holds a special place in my heart (perhaps the only brand named for a raging anti-semetic homophobe to do so); but this mini-movie starring Audrey Tautou is delicious.  The man-candy is tasty, and that digital M-series Leica she’s wielding is even dreamier than the Chanel jumpsuit she wears in the mosaic-floored gare du train at the film’s conclusion.

Best Buy - This "Outdated World" campaign for Best Buy's "Buy Back" program pretty much sums-up my family's relationship with technology.  Whereas my father and brother are always the first people to have the latest, fastest, spiffiest gadgets; I always hesitate, for fear that by the time I become aclimated to my new phone/pda/laptop/etc., it will have gone the way of the Dodo bird.  I use a PC, watch my VHS tapes all the time, and am just now undertaking the lengthy process of transfering my vinyl and cassettes to digital MP3 files.  A ludite?  Perhaps.  But at the rate technology keeps bettering itself - can you blame me?

Good Commercials

Get into it!