The best TV commercials are often funny, and they're almost never straightforward in their attempt to sell the product. Instead, they make you laugh, think, and feel as you watch the creative efforts of the team unfold on the screen. The best TV commercials entertain so well, viewers almost forget they're trying to sell something.
1. Nissan Leaf: Polar Bear
This ad for Nissan's electric car uses a cute and cuddly polar bear to get the "Save the Planet" message across. Not only does the powerful ad aim to inspire people to purchase the Leaf, it may make people think of ways to live greener lives in general. BestAdsEver.com includes this one on its Best of the Best Ads collection.
Website: Nissan Leaf: Polar Bear
2. Mentos Pure Fresh Love Story
This is a Chinese commercial for Mentos revolving around a long distance relationship. The girl tells the boy over the phone that she misses him and that she misses his breath. He pops in a piece of gum, exhales into a bottle, closes it up with a cork, and ships it to her. When she opens it, the result the breath has on her face and the room is hilarious. This ad earned a mention on the BestAdsOnTV.com site.
Website: Mentos Pure Fresh Love Story
3. Embrace Life/Always Wear Your Seatbelt
This public service announcement from Sussex Safer Roads demonstrates the importance of wearing your seatbelt every time you're in a moving car. It's simple, but it's an emotional and effective ad that shows a slow-motion "accident" acted out in a living room by a man sitting in a chair. Just when the impact is about to hit, his wife and daughter wrap their arms around him as if they've combined to create a seatbelt, and he's safe despite the "crash." This ad is featured on BestAdsEver.com's Best of the Best Ads list.
Website: Embrace Life/Always Wear Your Seatbelt
4. HomeAway.com
The Griswolds from the popular Family Vacation movies check into a hotel's Napoleon Suite, complete with valet parking, and a "complimentary" bottle of water. None of it is what they expected. The ad shows you everything that could go wrong with renting a room and not a home away from home without turning into a serious cautionary tale. Instead, it sends out the warning with hysterical humor.
Website: HomeAway.com
5. GEICO's Honest Abe
The commercial, which is mentioned on BestAdsEver.com, starts out asking, "Could switching to GEICO really save you 15 percent or more on your car insurance? Was Abe Lincoln honest?" Then it switches to a black and white scene with Abe Lincoln and his wife at the White House. She asks, "Does this dress make my backside look big?" There's an uncomfortable silence in the room. Abe Lincoln gives the honest answer and his wife storms away.
Website: GEICO's Honest Abe
6. AT&T Funny Email
BestAdsOnTV.com lists AT&T's funny email ad one of the best on television. This ad gets points because of its use of dark humor to demonstrate just how fast AT&T's broadband network is compared to other carriers'. There are three people in a car. Each person's phone dings to let them know they've received a message. The driver's email comes in first (he uses AT&T) and he has a good laugh. Then there's silence as the other two wait for their messages to load.
Website: AT&T Funny Email
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