Best viral ads of 2010
Viral advertising is a great way to inform people about your company, while also showing that you have a keen sense of humor. 2010 offered a number of great examples, many of which have already been imitated and parodied hundreds of times. But hey, if you’re going to copy, copy from the best.
- Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
In these commercials created by the WiedenKennedy ad agency, actor Isaiah Mustafa shows that “anything is possible” with Old Spice. Among other things, this includes catching a cake, riding a horse backwards, and swan diving into a hot tub. After the initial success of the commercials, the agency created a YouTube campaign in which Mustafa responded to social media comments in the same smug, over-the-top manner.
- Google “Google Chrome Speed Test”
Ad agency BBH created this slightly-over-2-minute video as a cool, clever way of demonstrating the speed of the new Chrome browser. While a potato is shot out of a gun, a Chrome user heads to allrecipes.compresumably to find some French fry recipes. Astonishingly, the browser wins. The commercial also pits Chrome against “Sound Waves” and “Lightning”, with similar results. Other users have borrowed the conceit, including a parody non-commercial Youtube video supporting rival web browser Opera.
- Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon”
The Toyota Sienna was supported by a number of commercials featuring the Sienna familytwo young parents trying to raise young children while holding on to some shred of coolness. This music video, directed by film director Jody Hill in collaboration with ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, showed that it was possible to do both. The parents perform an admirable rap that will have any parent in stitches, all while extolling their virtues of their Toyota Sienna “Swagger Wagon.” You can see the full commercial at toyotaswaggerwagon.com, where you can also download the MP3 and ringtones.