Let's play the TV commercial game
The TV commercial game is not a contest. It’s an unscientific study of how memorable some commercials are, and how effective. If you remember the commercial, but not the name of the product, the commercial is memorable, but ineffective.
I don’t remember a single commercial for Palmolive soap, but I remembered the product name, tried it, got decent results, and developed a loyalty to the brand. When I tried another brand on sale, it washed fewer dishes than Palmolive, which made it more expensive. The commercials got me to try once; the product itself brought me back.
I tried Brylcreme, “a little dab’ll do ya,” once, but never again. It was a huge hair product when I was a kid. Seen any Brylcreme lately? Men don’t like their hair to feel greasy and look plastered down, but that jingle, repeated thousands of times, is unforgettable. Another memorable commercial, for a hair product I can’t remember, called Brylcreme “that greasy kid stuff.” They didn’t mention Brylcreme, but everybody knew what they meant.
For me (and many in the ad industry) one of the most memorable and effective commercials was for Hebrew National Kosher Hot Dogs. Why should non-Jewish Americans, who know nothing and care less about the Jewish dietary laws, spend 25 percent more for a hot dog? Answer: Kosher hot dogs are better! Jewish law requires a higher, healthier, purer standard for hot dogs than the U.S. government does, but how do you communicate that to white bread America?
The commercial showed Uncle Sam leaning up against a package of Hebrew National while an off-screen god-like announcer went through a long list of fillers, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives the government allows that Hebrew National does not use. Uncle Sam looks increasingly uncomfortable, perturbed and ashamed as the long list goes on. The punch line, as Uncle Sam looks up to Heaven, is “we’re kosher, and have to answer to a higher authority.
When Fedex started delivering packages overnight, management made a wise decision. They did not use their commercials to explain how they did it. They just drummed in the slogan, “When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.” They figured correctly that nobody cared how they did it, only that it got done.
Now it’s your turn. What commercials have you found memorable? Do you also remember the name of the product? I remember jokes and jingles. What makes a commercial memorable and effective for you?
Another
I thought of another set of ads, from Isuzu, featuring Joe Isuzu from the 80's. He was obnoxious but some of the ads were humorous and did sell quite a few autos.
Here is an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4eOOlSxr_c&feature=related
Good topic Ken............I await some great ads from others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Digger the Dog
Well, this will date me in a weird way.. Of course I may be labled weird alredy.. that is OK. Who else could never get this one out of their mind? Maybe it's because I've always been a dog person.
Digger the Dog
"Digger the dog, digging he goes with you when you explore, just pull his leash and go for a walk, he's your dog for sure!"
I'll be occasionally treking about with our 4 legged daughter Sammie, an Old English sheepdog.. and the digger tune comes to mind.
The Karman Ghia got a bad rap. Had a friend who had one, standard 3 speed. Great vehicle!!! Held it's own and (Occasionally) kicked my butt with my 73 Chevy Vega GT (Brown with a white stripe) 3 speed that worked like a champ for a VERY long time, as long as you filled a quart of oil while you filled the gas. No big deal. But THAT is for another blog. I was 17 when she was "My girl" and I was damn proud.
OK!
Then there are the "Head On" commercials. "Apply directly to the forehead!" I wish there was something to apply to my head to help me forget them.. ;)
Judy
I still sing the Oscar Meyer
I still sing the Oscar Meyer songs---wieners and bologna (have never forgetten how to spell b-o-l-o-g-n-a!).
Or how 'bout "that's a spicy meatball!" (alka seltzer I believe)
Prince Spaghetti will always remind me of the Italian mother hanging out the window yelling "Anthony!" My kids would never get that commercial these days....having a night dedicated to a certain kind of dinner??? they complain when they have to eat hamburgers more then once a month ("this again?!") let alone having spaghetti every Wednesday and fish every Friday!
Bill, you are so right with "Where's the beef?" Not only did it put Wendy's on the map, it changed the world of advertising, talk about catch phrases making it mainstream, it even made it into the presidential campaign!
How about characters that we loved so much they continued for years?? How long has that pink bunny been running anyway? And who could forget Mr. Whipple or Fred the Dunkin Donuts guy?
California raisin anyone???
Funny you should bring this up today, commercials were the topic of a brief conversation at work...one of the popular new ones is for the Tide stain stick...the guy who's interviewing for a job and the stain on his shirt is yelling over him....too funny.
Could go on forever, nice topic Ken! Thanks for the memories!
Here are a couple for you....
Here is one for you, speaking of effective advertising...........
There are many variations of plastic wrap but it is universally known as "Saran Wrap"...they were the first. Reynolds Wrap is another one that I hear people use; foil is used but not as frequently. Both established through heavy advertising and being the biggest force in the marketplace.
And another....TANG....not too popular but when the astronauts took it to space.....sales soared. No pun intended. 
Here is the astronaut TANG commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs3Ode5LZb4
Fred, OH Wow!
Terri,
Funny it is how we attribute them to memories of a time in our lives.. Briefly after high school Herb worked the night shift at Dunkin Donuts.. baking the donuts. He'd be bleary eyed, heading out for the 11:00 PM shift going "Oh, Time to make the donuts!" It became a joke.. Not the donuts, NOO!!
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"Yahoo, it's twinkie the Kid!"
Great Blog, Ken.
A big delight in every bite!
"You have my word on it"
"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids"
"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV"
"Tastes great.....less filling"
"it takes a licking...."
"good to the last drop"
"don't leave home without them"
"melts in your mouth, not in your hands"
"They're grrrrrrrrreat!"
"HE LIKES IT, HEY MICKEY!"
or these Bill...
how about Jell-o? We're more likely to call pudding or gelatin by this brand name. Chapstick is another brandname that has come to mean all lip balm.
Another
Don't forget Tupperware. Not really a commercial, but......it defines a product
Ken,
You will remember this as will anyone from the late 60's and early 70's. Volkswagen's classic blunder that killed the Karman Ghia. They aired a commercial that showed the car speeding along and with the announcer saying: "The Volkswagen Karman Ghia is the most economical sports car that you can buy." Then it came up to one of those paper walls that they used to crash through and when it hit the wall, it showed the car trying to break through.....the tag line was: "it's just not the most powerful."
Needless to say it killed that car model and I am sure that the executive who came up with the commercial was more than likely canned.
Here is a link to that commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBMzY4O02eE
The other VW ad showed a man that seemed to ascend to heaven and an angel was leading him up ivory colored stairs, using language that would leave one to believe he was going to heaven. When he reached the top of the stairs, the angel announced, "The new.......Volkswagen Beetle." That one re-established VW after years of falling sales.
Of course the most classic one is "where's the beef"..........that put Wendy's on the map!