OPINION ZONE : Awesome ads, but are they effective?

November 18, 2009 | Posted by Carolyn Pikoulas
I'm a sucker for really creative advertisements. The more creative or interesting, the more likely I'll pay attention. Nothing bugs me more than generic, poorly-made, boring TV commercials that try to sell things I don't need. But lately I've been noticing a few ads, here and there, that are--for a lack of a better word --awesome.

For example: taking a very different approach from their much larger competitors like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular has produced (in my opinion) some of the best ad spots on TV. Instead of relying on hilarity, price point, or coverage area, their ads infuse emotion and humanity into a typically logical category, focusing on "shared values." The ads have been beautifully copywritten and filmed, and use storytelling as a way to pull on our heart strings.

But as much as these commercials hold my attention (and as much as I hate my current cell phone plan), the downside is that I don't see a strong enough benefit for switching carriers. Sure, the ads say things like, "Free incoming calls," but I want to know exactly how much I'd be paying for the plan in the first place. All anyone wants is to pay less for the same stuff.

Here are some of the great U.S. Cellular commercials:
"Share the Love"

"Shadow Puppets"

This one is a whole minute long, but it's hard to ignore. It's the largest (and cutest) bunny shadow puppetry ever created. It tells an age-old story: boy rabbit sees girl rabbit, boy rabbit falls in love with girl rabbit, boy and girl rabbit kiss. It's visually stunning. And they incorporated the familiar song from the movie, "The Jerk," which -- if you remember the movie -- is sung right before the world's most awkward non-kissing scene. The selling-point happens at the very end with the tagline that pulls it all together, "The world is full of things to share." The ad is a refreshing departure from the sometimes lame humor of other wireless carriers. But I hope that U.S. Cellular's positioning as a friendly, people-oriented company doesn't actually mimic shadow puppetry: appearing larger than reality.

Other Awesome Commercials...
Sam Adams
Their commercials convince me that their beer is better cared for than other beer companies. It's always nice to know the people behind the products we purchase. And the founder of the company seems to have a charming personality.

Levi's
Levi Straus has always been an innovator in creative advertisements. Their new "Go Forth" campaign features poetry from the famous Walt Whitman, which in one commercial features a rare recording of his voice reading the poem "America" that was apparently recorded in 1890 by Thomas Edison.

What does Walt Whitman have to do with blue jeans, you ask? Nothing, really. Levi's is trying to pay homage to the pioneer spirit. Their print ad states, "I am the new American pioneer, looking forward, never back. No longer content to wait for better times...I will work for better times. Cause no one built this country in suits." Like Whitman's poems, it hearkens back to a time when people pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to get through hard times (obviously paralleling today's economic difficulties), and forging ahead in their durable blue jeans. Walt Whitman was captivated by America's unlimited possibilities. Like the Levi's brand, Whitman stands for the power of real people-the self-reliant young men and women who make this country a better place. And Levi's itself is one of the few American brands that were actually around when Whitman was alive. Whitman's verse allows Levi's to evoke not only its proud history but a forward-looking mindset.