My Best of 2010 TV & Radio Ads.

Rick Stanton, Creative Director / President, Stanton & Everybody Advertising + Design

Our agency all-star utility player, Julie LeVeque asked me to write a blog about my picks for best TV & radio of 2010. So before she changes her mind, here it goes.

TV

I think hands down the best TV ad I saw all year came early in the Super Bowl.The Google ad was simply brilliant. It shows people the power of their service, it was great story telling, emotionally sticky and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to produce.

Other notables that not only were great spots, but were consistent campaigns include Jack in the Box, Old Spice, E*TRADE with the babies, Kotex taking on stupid feminine hygiene commercials and the current Allstate ads with the characterization of Mayhem. All smart, beautifully filmed and art directed and all expensive to produce.

My one-off winners are Dr. Pepper’s “Little Kiss” and the irreverent risk taking, and Traveler’s Insurance’s Watering Hole proving that great TV is 60% audio.

Locally, the Children’s Hospital ads are my winner. They show the humanity of their mission, they are memorable for their copy without resorting to the kind of emotional rape typically used in this category. And while they have good production values, I know the budget had a cap.

It’s Seattle after all, the land of zero production budgets.

Radio

Radio is suffering at the hands of young writers who couldn’t tell a decent story at gunpoint. Not to mention the spate of horrible attempts at humor underscored by senseless casting and producers who have no idea what they want. End of rant.

But nationally Anheuser-Busch’s Real Men of Genius campaign continues to be fun and funny, and the National Thoroughbred Association’s campaign proves there are still real ad writers doing radio.

http://www.radiomercuryawards.com/audio2003/dinnerdate_NTRA.mp3

Locally, it’s not even close. Other than the work we do the winner is Horizon Air and the Clark & Lewis Expedition. Again.

Happy New Year. Let’s hope there’s some great work coming soon, along with a few local clients who understand it’s great creative that makes your media budget meaningful.