This year will long be remembered for the most contentious presidential election in modern history, with Donald Trump set to assume the highest office in the land. But our favorite ads of the year once again featured the usual suspects of advertisers as they entertained us, made us nostalgic or just made us want to purchase new sneakers. Here are some ads that rose above the Electoral College and won our popular vote.
CHECK, PLEASE: This year featured several Tom Brady ads for various companies he has deals with, including Uggs and Beautyrest. Brady, who seemingly was created in a marketer’s lab, continues to build his endorsement portfolio and flex his acting prowess while also building enough personal brand equity to endorse a product -- in this case Foot Locker -- while also having some editorial control and being able to take subtle shots at the NFL over Deflategate. The Foot Locker spot features Brady venting at two patrons in a non-descript diner about “why can’t some things just be great” which leads to “questions” and then “assumptions,” but the one answer that is brought to light is how Brady really feels about Deflategate.
STORYBOOK ENDING: This year in sports featured an NBA championship in Cleveland and an NBA Finals heavy with drama and high-level competition, delivering a title to a city starved for a championship. But the Cubs, those lovable losers from the North Side, broke the Billy Goat curse and delivered a World Series title that no one thought would ever happen, winning an epic Game 7 some consider to be the best ever. Budweiser delivered an emotional, heartfelt ad featuring the legendary voice of late Cubs announcer Harry Caray spliced with footage of Cubs fans celebrating their World Series victory. The ad encapsulates the joy and emotion the team’s fans felt winning their first title since 1908, and wishing it they could share it with their beloved broadcasting patriarch.
