Favorite Commercials

This post was originally planned to be released onto our blog on February 5, Super Bowl Sunday, after being in draft mode for over a year. We were already in Utah with Cynthia's family by the release date and it didn't seem appropriate to update on schedule. So, pretend that the world's greatest ads show football game is about to air and this post will seem a little more timely.

We love commercials. No seriously, we LOVE commercials. Not only do we watch the Super Bowl only for the commercials, sometimes we watch regular TV just for commercials! The Lovely Cynthia got a degree in advertising and I was considering the same for a short period of time.

I know a good commercial when I see one, but those aren't always our favorites. Some commercials have made such an indelible impact on us that they have become part of our lexicon and family culture. Below are some of the commercials that are still mentioned frequently in the Bushchicken household.

Verizon, 2009 - This commercial was one that we saw and just thought "Oh, snap! Oh no they di'dn't!". At least we would have thought those exact words if we were valley girls. I loved the juicy disparagement that's masked by a childhood favorite. I have not looked at AT&T (or the iPhone, an unintended consequence) the same way since.

TLC, 2006 - TLC (the network, not the hottie) did a whole "Life Lessons" ad campaign for many of their shows, but this one was by far the best thanks to the 80's reference. Strangely, the show being advertised is the only show we ever really watched on TLC! Anyway, "where'd you park the DeLorean?" is a common phrase for us now.

Colgate, 1996 - Ok, this is a perfect example of a not-so-great commercial that is still one of our favorites. I didn't remember which brand of toothpaste this ad was for until I looked it up recently, so the campaign was ineffective. But hey, those kids are durn cute. Kindergartners should be requisite in all ads. Mother. of. Pearl.

Jose Ole, 2002 - This commercial was so effective with brand placement that we actually misquote it in our household. We say "Daddy needs money for the Jose Ole Man", not 'a chimichanga'. Effective at brand placement, but NOT effective enough for us to change behaviors - we have never purchased a Jose Ole item.

Burger King, 2006 - The video above has several ads. The one we quote is the quick ad starting at :24. Not sure why this gives us the giggles, but we got whopper juniors just yesterday and I smiled because of this ad. I sure wish those burgers were STILL just a buck!

Old Spice, 2010 - Alright, everyone knows this commercial. We still quote it every chance we get. Surprisingly, this Portland-made commercial is probably also the best commercial on our whole list. Before this commercial I thought Old Spice only had one scent that was, IMHO, disgusting. But now...yeah, I wear two different Old Spice scents. Well-made, sticks with you, brand recognition, and changes behavior. I AM the man your man could smell like!

Now don't be stingy...share your favorite commercials with us.