Carmichael Lynch (Minneapolis)

This amazingly artistic people portrait, using parts of deconstructed motorcycles, was created by American graphic designer Brock Davis, the group creative director for the advertising agency Carmichael Lynch based in Minneapolis. Instead of simply showing a motorcycle with the "build your own" text, this print ad goes above-and-beyond and uses motorcycle parts to create a portrait of an individual (most likely the person designing his custom motorcycle). All the little bolts, springs, and motor pieces represent that a lot goes in to making a Harley Davidson, however, you can create your own to match your own unique personality. Love this ad!

Lowe Worldwide (New York)

The Milk Mustache Got Milk? campaign is the product of Lowe Worldwide, a New York-

based ad agency. Milk sales were declining due to perception issues about the beverage because milk was seen as a drink for just children. These milk mustache advertisements have been very long-lasting and effective because new celebrities are created every day so they're always able to use a current celebrity in the ads. The celebrities used, such as Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen in this ad, are contemporary celebrities who are very young and very attractive. Having beautiful people rock milk mustaches show that milk is not just for children, it is also for teens and adults. And come on, who doesn't want to have a glass of milk JUST to see if they'll get a milk mustache?

Draftfcb (Chicago)

This Miller Lite commercial, created by Draftfcb Chicago, combines humor and truth to win over its consumers. We all know that the "L Word" freaks men out....except for when it comes to their favorite beer...then they use the 4 letter word with ease. The man in this commercial basically has this beautiful woman throwing herself at him, telling him she loves him...and he can't even form the word "love". I believe that this ad was very effective because Draftfcb decided to make fun of men's ability to say "i love you" in a playful way.

The Martin Agency (Richmond, Virginia)

Creatives at the Martin Agency, Richmond, Virginia, came up with the campaign concept when they played with the common mispronunciation of the word, “Geico”. They decided to make something of it and with a few strokes of a pen the new character was brought to life. Even though there are hundreds of Geico Gecko commericals, I decided to show ya'll the one below because in my Advertising Research class we just learned about the importance of word association...and this is exactly what Geico achieves in this advertisement. Now whenever anyone hears or sees a Gecko, they're going to think about Geico Car Insurance.

TM Advertising (Irving, TX)

In the Summer of 2008, I was fortunate to have worked as an intern for TM advertising here in Dallas, Texas. Because I am bilingual, I worked on the American Airlines International account in the Account Services department. The agency that I interned for, and that offered me a job after I graduate, just happened to have created one of my favorite commercials of all time. This Nationwide commercial featured Kevin Federline, former backup dancer turned money-hungry thug infamous for marrying Britney Spears, created a HUGE laugh. TM Agency found an opportunity for Nationwide's "Life comes at you fast" campaign by capitalizing on Kevin Federline's hilarous fall from fame. "K-FED" is notorious for being a huge loser and being responsible from Britney's series of mental breakdowns. He married Britney Spears for her money, tried to start a rap career, and soon became the laughing stock of pop culture. This commerical shows that life comes at you fast...because one second you can be on top of the world...and the next you're scooping fries at the local McDonalds.Recently, TM lost the Nationwide account to McKinney...

McCann Erikson (New York)

The "Priceless" Mastercard campaign, created by McCann Erikson, is famous for striking an emotional chord with its viewers. Even though I normally don't get choked up when watching commericals featuring animals (because they are often cheesy) this TV spot created by McCann Erikson New York succeeded in cleverly using an animal to emotionally attach me to the commerical. Instead of using a cute cuddly cliche kitten, this TV spot featured an elephant. This was a fantastic idea because an elephant, often overlooked and known for being big and clumsy, is still sweet and caring torwards his trainer. Because it's in captivity, the trainer is like his father...and showing the elephant take care of his ill trainer brought tears to my eyes!

Grey (New York)

Before taking my Advertising Literacy class and learning about Ned Doyle and Bill Bernbach, I had never heard of Grey Advertising. Even though I had not been familiar with the agency, looking back, I realize that I had seen much of their work. This ad in particular is one that I vividely remember from a few years ago. I saw a major connection between this advertisement and the FedEx Superbowl spot from BBDO. The FedEx Superbowl ad states that an advertisement needs 10 simple elements to be successful: a celebrity, an animal, a dancing animal, a cute kid, a groin kick, a talking animal, attractive females, product message (optional), a famous pop song, and a bonus ending. In the hilarious commercial for John West Salmon, there is an animal (bear), a dancing animal, a groin kick. Even though all 10 elements aren't present in this advertisement, it made me appreciate the ad for FedEx much more because they hit the nail right on the head...these elements DO in fact create a hilariously successful commercial.

JWT (New York)

It's safe to say that the majority of advertisements for baby products are cute and sentimental. Tony Rizzuto, a freelance art director at JWT/New York, thought it would be better and more effective to take an opposite approach and be realistic, humorous, or a combination of both. This advertisement for Huggies Gentle Care Sensitive Wipes combines both humor and realism. To convince parents to buy baby wipes that are soft and gentle, the ad shows an adorable infant under the tag line, "Don't irritate your new boss." The tag line was thought up by copyrighter Cynthia Wills, who is a mother herself. She made the point that once you have children, they run your life and become your boss. Since you never want to irritate your boss, you should always treat them with respect and do what's best for them....in this case, you should respect your baby by giving them the best, Huggies Gentle Care Sensitive Wipes, so that their little bottoms are soft and not irritated. I love this advertisement because the people at JWT New York stepped outside of the typical baby product comfort zone and as a result they created a successful advertisement.