This ad for Gatorade's G2 is great because it appeals to athletes as well as regular consumers. It lists things that each "Candace" have not done, but the other has. It gives the reader the feeling that, even if she is not a professional athlete, she can still do great things (and G2 can help).

Athlete Candace: I've never lost half my body weight. I've never climbed a StairMaster to get away from my old self. I've never had to undo 35 years of bad habits. I've never looked in the mirror and seen someone I hadn't seen before. But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

Other Candace: I've never dunked a basketball. I've n ever had to come back from a torn ACL to win 2 straight college titles. I've never been Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. I've never been criticized for the decision to become a mother. But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

Hulu's Plot to Destroy the World

Hulu's recent commercial featured Seth MacFarlane, speaking in-character throughout the ad. I am unclear about why hulu, a site devoted to free broadcasts of tv shows and movies, hired MacFarlane to promote Family Guy (for which MacFarlane is the creator/executive producer). I'm not sure advertising for a free site to watch your show will bring revenue and profit to Family Guy itself.

My main point then, I guess: What's the point of this commercial and what company will be profitable from this video?

Thinking into it, it's possible that more [potential] viewers are reached through the Hulu commercial. Perhaps Hulu users hadn't heard of Family Guy, and now want to see what the excitement is about. Or maybe Family Guy viewers hadn't heard of Hulu, and will begin to use the site for other popular shows.

Not that it's a bad commercial, I simply just don't understand the overall purpose of it.

BK Squarepants

This Burger King commercial promotes the new 99¢ Kids Meal featuring Spongebob Squarepants. It seems to target parents in their mid- to late-twenties with children young enough to be familiar with and enjoy Spongebob. The song is a remix to the formerly popular "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot in 1992, which grabs the attention of those who remember the song.

The fact that Spongebob appears in the commercial means that young viewers will see the ad, making it even more important for the content to be appropriate. However, there are parts of the commercial that are somewhat questionable do to the portrayed sexuality.

Sixteen Tons

In this GE ad, coal mining is depicted as more attractive than in the past due to the fact that it is now "clean coal."

Ironically enough, the song playing in the background ("Sixteen Tons" by Merle Travis) was written about the misery of coal mining.

The following is a CBS news report regarding clean coal. It doesn't portray coal as 'attractive' as in the GE ad though.

Marketing to women

This ad cleverly targets women who may be concerned with the calorie count in beer... and/or have been lied to by their boyfriend. MGD attempts to relate to women by referring to relationships while promising a low-calorie beer.

As irresistible as chocolate

This commercial for Axe Dark Temptation came out just in time for Valentine's Day. What a smart way to incorporate women's love for chocolate into a product marketed toward men.

Beer chips?

Doritos is great at using humor to attract attention to their product and generate sales.