The year was 1996. The world learned the Macarena. Judge Judy brought her no-nonsense attitude to our TV screens. Oprah launched her book club. The Spice Girls started a revolution. Baked Lay’s, Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich and ColinKurtis Advertising were born!
Now it’s 2021, and ColinKurtis, a leading food and beverage marketing agency, is celebrating its 25th anniversary! Our team decided to have some fun and highlight 25 of our all-time favorite ads.
Our Favorite Food & Beverage Advertisements
Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz (1976)
Alka-Seltzer, 1972 – “I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing”
Jack Somack – Spicy Meatball – AlkaSeltzer
“People repeated these mottos in daily conversation…kind of like SNL water cooler lines or yesterday’s memes…” – Juanita, Senior Copywriter
1993 Campbell’s Soup “Melting Snowman” TV Commercial
“Who can forget the warmth and nostalgia of the Campbell’s Soup Melting Snowman? So cozy and comforting!” – Stacy, Account Executive
Britney Spears – Pepsi Now and Then Commercial [HD Master]
“Probably my favorite ad of all time!” – Tory, Account Director
Budweiser Clydesdale Commercial – Super Bowl 2013
Coca-Cola Classic ad: ‘Mean’ Joe Greene [Full Version] (1979)
Our Favorite Holiday Ads
Hershey’s | Holiday | Bells :15
“A classic….Love it every year because it’s like another holiday tradition that you’ve come to expect!” – Laura, Production/Digital Art
Shinesty’s Christmas Catalog
“I think Shinesty’s Christmas catalog is a total riot. Humor in the dark year of 2020—relatable and trendy!” – Wendy, Project Coordinator
Christmas Morning – Santa – I left Him Cheese – Commercial – Behold the Power of (1998)
“This is one of my all time favorites, and not just because I love cheese. It’s sweet, simple, and conveys the idea that cheese is much more desirable than sweets.” Valette, Account Director
Christmas – TV Commercial – 1970s – Norelco Santa Vol. 2
“This was a series of ads that ran during the 70s.The animation was pretty cool for the time, and you always looked forward to seeing the new version. Also, they cleverly played on their logo, turning it from Norelco and Noelco, which was pretty cutting-edge back then.” – Valette, Account Director
Our Favorite Nostalgic Ads
“I’m Going to Disney World” – first ad, 1987
“Talk about iconic! This Super Bowl commercial, which started in 1987, created a catchphrase that has become a part of the English lexicon and is still going strong more than three decades later.”- Stacy, Account Executive
“Daisy” Ad (1964): Preserved from 35mm in the Tony Schwartz Collection
“For better or worse, this controversial 1964 ad changed political advertising forever with its alarming visuals and implication during the height of the Cold War. Despite only airing once, it captured national conversation and received significant credit for Johnson’s decisive victory over Barry Goldwater.” — Michael, Lead Web Developer
Keep America Beautiful – (Crying-Indian) – 70s PSA Commercial
“Keep America Beautiful anti-littering campaign with crying ‘Indian’…who, it turns out, is not Native American…but it struck a chord with people.” – Juanita, Senior Copywriter
Our Favorite Inspirational Ads
Apple – Think Different campaign
https://medium.com/ad-discovery-and-creativity-lab/think-different-b566c2e6117f
“This campaign is one of the most successful bridgings between a culturally influential legacy and a forward-thinking call to consumers to change their behavior.” – Michael, Lead Web Developer
Nike – Dream Crazier | #JustDoIt
“It’s only crazy until you do it.” – Kate, Art Director
Nike ad: If You Let Me Play (1995)
“This is one of my all-time favorites and was very powerful at the time. I also think it is a great example of true ‘branding’ as you only see the Nike logo once on a shirt…so it was not about promoting their products but about the human, and in this case female, benefit of sports and why it matters.” – Debra, VP/Creative Director
Halo 3 – ‘Believe’ Ad
The one that floored me when it came out was the Halo ‘Believe’ Campaign which was much bigger than just this ad.” – Brian, Creative Director
Our Favorite Funny Ads
The Force – Volkswagen Commercial in HD
“It’s funny, relatable and I love that no words are ever spoken, but you clearly get the message. I could watch it over and over; one of my all time faves! – Leslie, Digital Producer
Ship My Pants Kmart Commercial [HD]
Maytag Man Commercial | Laundry | Shopping
“I don’t know about the best of all time, but I love the Maytag Man (and they work, my husband wanted one when shopping for a washer and dryer because of their commercials)!” – Kate, Art Director
Budweiser wassup
Favorite tech ads
All “I’m a Mac I’m a PC” ads Part 1
“For Apple, I always like the ‘I’m a Mac’ series.” – Brian, Creative Director
Samsung “The Next Big Thing” ad parodies an iPhone line
“For companies that turned it back at Apple, Samsung’s: ‘The Next Big Thing’ ads were great.” – Brian, Creative Director
And Our Favorite Direct Message
Head On
“It may be annoying, but it was so direct/obvious that it explained it in a few seconds, plus it stays in your head all day (and you go buy it and apply it because the commercial was so annoying that it gave you a headache).” – Matt, Social Media Director
Blog post from:
Matt Hensler
Vice President, Digital Integration
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