• by Amanda , November 8, 2007

While I do manage to catch my favorite programs randomly throughout the week, an atypical sick day this Wednesday allowed me unprecedented time to watch TV, and especially advertisements. On a usual evening, I watch TV with the roommates so commercial time is catch-up time. But sitting alone (and groggy) by myself allowed me time to really watch advertisements – something I haven’t done since the Super Bowl in January. Let me say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Simplicity is key. Apple commercials are inevitable favorites – the new iPod Shuffle in particular. Because the product is straightforward, the commercials reflect this in their clean, colorful, and minimal style. Love them.

Random, diverse advertising. Geico has this down. Between their 1950’s style commercials, geckos, and cavemen it seems like anything could be a Geico ad. The days where companies need one clear message, with one spokesperson, and one target audience are over - I think this might have something to do with the proliferation of advertising onto any and every screen. Geico makes their commercials funny and memorably random. They also hit up almost every demographic.

One trend I really like is splitting ads with another advertisement. The Nissan “a car you can’t ignore” ad is really funny and unexpected. One campaign I remember in particular was run by Food Network, and featured a user question about Thanksgiving dinner being answered by a FoodTV chef. Not surprising. However the question and its answer were split by another commercial. Because we’re all watching the food channel for recipes, these tips about making a sweeter cranberry sauce and how to cook the perfect turkey were entirely appropriate and held my attention despite my cough medicine haze.

These trends aside, commercials don’t always need to change to be effective. This might come as a surprise, but reusing seasonal advertising is a really effective way to catch my attention. Commercials, like anything else, can be nostalgic; this technique is particularly valuable with a homey brand. So whenever I see the Campbell’s soup commercial where the snowman melts into a little freckle-faced boy in front of a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, it feels like Christmas is right around the corner.