John Perry, Havas Worldwide Melbourne MD and chief strategy officer for Havas Worldwide Apac, has kindly shared his top five parody ads. He reckons they will make you cringe and laugh at the same time. Can you think of any more? That's what the coments box is for (and not just snarky stuff)...
1. Dr Pepper Emergency (Butt Naked Boy)
Advertiser: The Coca Cola Company
Agency: Mother London
A classic parody of American popular culture, from CNN live news crosses such as OJ's chase, to teen flicks such as Ferris Bueller and American Pie. And even though it didn't have a typical soft drink consumption shot in it, the ad did show a point of purchase decision and some judiciously placed pack shots while all hell broke loose around our hero!
2. Determined to be different
Advertiser: Commonwealth Bank
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Not only a parody advertisement, but a parody of the advertising development process itself, with a touch of The Office thrown in for good measure. I remember watching this one in amazement for the first time, not because of its creativity, but because I couldn't believe one of Australia's most conservative institutions approved it in the first place.
3. The Big Ad
Advertiser: Carlton & United Breweries
Agency: George Patterson Y&R
Every list of the best parody ads has to include this one - the granddaddy of all parodies. The third instalment in what has to be one of the longest running, and creatively brilliant, 'parody' campaigns of all time. But this one really made people stand up and notice and created the often heard phrase from marketers, "I want my ad to go viral as well".
4. Lynx Jet
Advertiser: Unilever
Agency: LOWE Hunt
This brilliant campaign is a parody of an entire airline, including parody advertisements that cue category communication conventions with very unconventional communication messages! Quite rightly dominated Cannes in 2006 in many different categories.
5. Fully Loaded Can
Advertiser: Campbell Soup Company
Agency: Clemenger BBDO Sydney
As someone who used to work on the Schweppes Solo account at the time, this advertisement was very much a case of 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. More Solo Man than the Solo Man himself, this ad cues all the classic conventions of Solo ads of old, except perhaps for the unusual cameo of Evel Knievel towards the end (although he was a 70's icon as well!).
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