In an increasingly crowded marketplace, companies now more than ever want to create an advertisement or campaign that stands above the rest. Here are some ads that made an impression on us this year.
NOT PHONING IN THE PERFORMANCE: The Manning clan once again shows why they are first family of athlete endorsers with their performance in DirecTV’s "Football On Your Phone" ad that features Peyton and Eli rapping. The two Super Bowl champs channel their inner-boy band and give a performance describing the virtues of DirecTV's "Sunday NFL Ticket," which allows subscribers to watch games from their mobile devices. While Peyton has established himself as a marketing powerhouse, little brother Eli more than holds his own in the spot and quite possibly outshines the four-time MVP as the permed singer who asks, "What do you get when a football gets down with your phone?"
LOVERS' LANE: The traditional bowling alley is often where one can find good clean family fun, but
ESPN’s promotional campaign for its PBA coverage tries to give the staid sport more of an edge. The campaign features the song "I Know What You Want," a sultry duet by Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey, playing over images of pro bowlers preparing to attack the pins. The net is attempting to rebrand the sport into something cool to attract younger viewers, and the spot works well because of the dichotomy between the music and images.
Also:
* James Harden tries his hand at singing in a Foot Locker ad before Stephen Curry mercifully tells him to stop.
* Aaron Rodgers is stuck in the “grilling section” of an airplane with Da Bears fans in a State Farm effort.
* Bobby Valentine is able to poke fun at his managerial track record in a spot for CBSSports.com's fantasy baseball game.
* A Nike ad sees Blake Griffin finding a new teammate in Dr. Drain, but Griffin has more clean-up to do than expected.
* Farmers Insurance launches a funny campaign in which Rickie Fowler stresses golf etiquette as "Dick Fowler, P.I."
* A dream sequence for the iPhone 5 shows Venus and Serena Williams losing at a game of table tennis.
* Dikembe Mutombo shows off his shot blocking abilities in a Geico spot where he rejects everything from laundry to a cereal box.
* Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer thwart would-be thieves in an ad for EA Sports’ latest “PGA Tour” video game.
