Anyway, 2006 was a year in which the Internet was as important as TV and the men in the grey flannel suits did the best they could to make their commercials not look like commercials. The Wall Street Journal has come out with its list of the best-- and worst.
While debate over the "worst" continues to rage in our TVgasm forums, see if you agree with the best:
The Best Ads of 2006
Monkey Business for CAREERBUILDER.COM
This one is wild, an online ad that lets you make a funny video email featuring a chimp, and craft a customized message by recording a voice greeting via the telephone, which the chimp would repeat to the person the email was sent to. Eleven months later, they're still out there. And CareerBuilder says more than 80 million monkey emails have been played.
TiVo Buster for KFC
KFC designed this TV ad to circumvent TV ad-skipping devices. One frame in the ad contained a secret code word -- "Buffalo" -- which viewers could use to redeem a coupon for a free KFC "Buffalo Snacker" chicken sandwich. Only viewers who used their DVR or VCR to watch the ad frame-by-frame could see the code. To get people to play, KFC ran newspaper ads with details of when the ad would run.
An Edgy Shave for PHILIPS NORELCO
Philips' "Bodygroom" shaver -- designed to help a man shave hair on his back, chest and, uh, lower regions-- wasn't for everyone, and might even be seen as offensive on TV, so the ad agency created a website starring a man in a bathrobe, talking about what the shaver does. The ad uses various fruits and vegetables to refer to parts of the male anatomy-- too smutty for TV but perfect for the web.
Apple's Bite for APPLE COMPUTERS
You know, the TV and Web ads that show the Apple Mac, represented by a hip-looking young man, debating its features with the PC, represented by a paunchy, nerdy-looking fellow. The ads, work, even though the PC guy, played by Daily Show commentator John Hodgman, has become more popular than Mac-man Justin Long, who starred with Lewis Black in the movie, Accepted.
Hurts So Good for SPRINT NEXTEL
Two men in a locker room to compare cellphones to see whose is most sophisticated. One guys says, "I can watch live TV." His friend responds: "My Sprint phone has TV and downloads music." Then the first man says his phone has a "crime deterrent" feature, which he demonstrates by throwing the phone at the other guy's head.
(Coming later... The worst ads of 2006!