The Best Ads From 1990s, Best Decade Ever (part two).
GEN X for the WIN.
PRE-NOTE for you new subs: I do cover good currents ads, when I find them, which is pretty fucking rare, because the state of ad creativity is most-accurately described as: shit-awful.
Therefore, If I only covered new ads, it would be 90% shit-awful ads, which would send me to the woods/mountains/desert to work on the next great American novel, or at least the first ever great ad industry novel, which wouldn’t get finished because I’d get eaten by a bear/pack of coyotes/aerie of bald eagles. I do also cover the shittiest of the shit-awful ads every month, fyi.
Anyway: This is why I often go back in time to When Advertising Tried Harder (great book for reference, highly recommended, buy it here).
PRE-NOTE #2: What a country I live in. We have an American political party maybe choosing “deadcatting” as a serious strategy. Or not. I don’t believe Trump/Vance are that smart.
IT’S 1990s WEEK ON COPYRANTER!
So many memorable ads. Here’re five examples of ads that tried harder. I will be posting a total of 25+ great 1990s ads—many you haven’t seen—through the week. Buy a sub here to see them all. Here’s Part One (eight ads) from yesterday.
1. POSTBANKEN (1997)
A classic commercial, from 1997, for Postbanken, a Norwegian bank that offers its services through the country’s post offices. The actor is Ernst-Hugo Järegård, a cult hero in Sweden. He was one of director Lars von Trier’s favorite actors, having worked with him on Europa.
So, you get him to say your name, as only a great actor can, 22 or so times in 40 seconds. For me, this is the most honest financial ad ever created—which ain’t saying much, but there it is.
2. APPLE (1997)
“Here’s to the crazy ones…” 164 words that brought Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy. TV spot below, later version narrated by Steve Jobs.
3. NIKE (1990)
Runners (not “joggers”) are truly mad. My parents were both competitive marathoners. No ad has ever gotten to the crux of this better than this beautiful ad.
Mothers, there’s a mad man running in the streets, And he’s humming a tune, And he’s snarling at dogs, And he still has four more miles to go.
Ad agency: Wieden & Kennedy, of course.
4. GUINNESS (1995)
KICKER LINE: “Not Everything In Black And White Makes Sense”. This touching spot never aired on broadcast TV because anti-gay groups immediately went apoplectic, much like the Mothers For “Liberty” group and “JD” would today. Kudos to Guinness for being ahead of the times. Ad agency: Ogilvy & Mather, London.