I’ve been interested in advertising — like, as in doing advertising — since I was a little kid. I was about seven when my cousins came to visit and brought their new, truly huge and bulky camcorder (hey, it was the ‘80s), which we used to shoot a commercial for my pink and purple Huffy bicycle. I’ll admit that my grasp of message strategy was kind of weak at that point, and “Pinky: The Bicycle for All Your Needs” isn’t a great tagline, but for someone who’s only recently learned to ride a bicycle, I think it was pretty good. (The ad ran during an episode of Lifestyles of the Poor and Insignificant, also shot that weekend, which was fantastic placement for the price.)
With that kind of a head start, it’s kind of a wonder that I only discovered advertising as an actual career field when my attempt to be a concert pianist fell through. (Ask Me About My Paralyzing Performance Anxiety.) I’ve had decades to amass a pantheon of ads I wish I’d made, either as a casual list in the back of my mind or a spread of tear sheets on a bulletin board for inspiration. Famous commercials, a bourbon ad torn out of an old Wired magazine, something one of my coworkers just did — my only requirement is that I looked at the ad and thought, “That is so [intense, funny, well-written, clever, moving, etc., etc., etc.]. I wish I’d made that.” They’re ads that make me want to be a better creative.
It’s a big collection. Here are just a few highlights.
EDS, Cat Herders (Fallon)
Everything about this ad is flawless. When this ran during the Super Bowl in 2000, I didn’t know what EDS did (and if I’m being honest, I still don’t entirely), but I immediately fell in love with the metaphor, and the writing, and the music, and the dude lint-rolling the cat hair from his sling next to the campfire, and the absolutely everything else.
Old Spice, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Wieden + Kennedy)
Okay, yes, I realize this one is fairly low-hanging, as fruit goes — it doesn’t take a creative genius or advertising prodigy to think, “Wow, that’s a fun ad! I would like to make fun ads like that.” But there’s so much to it. One of the biggest things is that it was such a departure from Old Spice’s previous branding. It had been solidly in the category of Things in Your Dad’s Medicine Cabinet, and then suddenly here’s Isaiah Mustafa shirtless and abruptly on horseback, appealing to an entirely different market segment and using a kind of self-aware humor that okay the more I dissect it, the less funny it gets, so I’m stopping now. To me, this ad represents a triumph both of creativity and of client service, because behind every concept like this is an AE going to the client and saying, “Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out.”
Honda, Safety for Everyone (RPA)
This is the newest addition to the collection. The emotional rollercoaster — aww, and then oh my God, and then OH — is intense, and I found myself tearing up for the loved ones of a man who didn’t actually die and never actually existed anyway because he’s a character in a commercial. It’s storytelling dialed up to 11, and I’m so here for it.
These are, of course, just a tiny selection from a massive trove of beloved ads that make me want to up my game. What about you? Any favorites from your inspiration board? I can’t be the only person looking longingly at other people’s creative and sighing. Right?
Right?
(Please say right.)
Your career has definitely made me look at ads very critically, recognizing some real losers, but seeing few winners as cool as the cat herders!
RIght.
I worked at EDS when “Cat Herders” aired and was in awe that I actually worked for a company that had a superbowl ad, much less a good one. They also did a follow up spot called “Airplane”. Also good.
Happy birthday!!