Best Ads From The 1990s, Best Decade Ever (part four).

Last part.

Before the internet starting killing creativity in the oughts (not just in advertising), my industry was producing great work on the regular. Here are Part One, Part Two , and Part Three of this series from this week.

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Part four is a bit different. Below are eight ads that I, as The Best Ad Critic In The World™ (™ pending) would not have including in this series. But these are undeniably “iconic” 1990s ads. Those of you who also lived through the decade will back me up.

1. BUBBLE TAPE

This charming piece of insanity for Bubble Tape Gum pissed off principals and school bus drivers. Good Tag: For You Not Them. Ad agency: BBDO.

2. GOT MILK?

Us creatives love the “Aaron Burr” spot from this very succesful campaign. Less famous is the above more morbid ad. Man in body cast eats a cookie fed to him whole, then watches while maybe choking to death as milk is drunk and spilled with abandon. Ad agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Many celebrities participated in the 1990s print work for the campaign. But, let’s all remember Ivana Trump, currently buried in an unmarked grave near the 1st hole of Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ.

3. BABY-SO-REAL

Jesus everything-that-is-sacred Christ, NO. KILL IT. With a flamethrower. And that fucking song. I would’ve bought my daughter a pony—shit 12 ponies—to try to convince her NOT to want that thing for X-Mas.

4. 7-UP

Not quite as successful as The Uncola (back story here), But the soft drink introduced a “provocative” new tagline in 1999 as presented via a t-shirt by comedian Orlando Jones, one of the original cast members of MADtv. Ad agency: Young & Rubicam.

1998 ad via the Center for Disease Control. Amazing that it was a government ad.

6. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT BUTTER

Fabio Lanzoni only needed 15 seconds to sell millions of women worldwide on this specious product. That’s how you use a celebrity. Ad agency: McCann-Erickson.

7. BUD WEIS ER

Lastly, it’s of course a commercial that *shook* the world, and caused an un-countable number drunken slurred imitations by three friends at bars nationwide. Unfortunately, ad agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles should NOT have made a campaign out of it.