All-time Most Epic Commercials?
Submitted by concernedadguy on Wed, 11/30/2005 - 14:27.
To divert attention from the fact that I don*t have the most Epic Guinness ad of all time - the 1994 "all the time in the world" babylon tower one, I will link some other Guinness ads in order of "epicness" with the most epiccy one first. Kay?
Guinness - Surfer (1999) 060 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/6120.php
Guinness - Dreamer / Dream Club (2001)
http//ad-rag.com/6123.php
Guinness - Lava - aka Volcanos, Committees, Whiners and Beer
http//ad-rag.com/6118.php
Guinness - Bet on Black / Snail Race (2000)
http//ad-rag.com/6122.php
Guinness - Swimblack (1998)
http//ad-rag.com/6119.php
Guinness - Free In / Hot For The Cup (2002) - 030 (USA)
http//ad-rag.com/5520.php
Guinness - Women - (1996) 060 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/119414.php
Guinness - Wedding - (1996) 060 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/119402.php
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What gets everyone*s vote for the "epicest" commercials? Apple*s "1984" clearly must be near the top of the list. What are some others? Coca-Cola*s "Hilltop" (the original, not the crap Crispin abomination of late) qualifies. Saturn*s "Sheetmetal" is epic in its own way.
What do you think?
Epic? Do you mean Epic as in feature-film-like, or just as in "major impact on ad-world"?
Hmmm... There is a Guinness advert from 1994 that I wish we had here now, where Louis Armstrong sings "all the time in the world" as the camera zooms into a glass of Guinness. Through the bubbles, into a bubble, where we finds the tower of babel, into the tower, into a room, where we finds a glass of Guinness, and then it "starts over" by zooming into those bubbles as well. I swear it brought teras to my eyes the first time I saw it. ( I am a sucker for Guinness too).
I recall at the time long articles written about the spx that were done by The Mill (I think), as that tower of babylon was enterily done in CGI and stuff like that wasn*t all too common in adverts in those days.
Other suggestions
Honda Accord - Cog (2003) - 200 (UK) 8.6meg
http//ad-rag.com/104222.php
Guinness - Surfer (1999)
http//ad-rag.com/6120.php
Benson and Hedges - Iguana - (1979) 060 (UK) Classic
http//ad-rag.com/109951.php
Fiat - Handbuilt by robots - (1979) 060 (UK) Classic
http//ad-rag.com/109950.php
The Independent - Don*t - (1999) 055 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/119885.php
It*s a recent one, but you can hardly beat Playstation "Mountain" for sheer scale. Nike "Tag", too - while it doesn*t have chariots or parting seas, I always consider it epic for the way it takes a central idea (playing chasing) and explodes it into the world in general. And the mini war movie that is the last Stella Artois ad ...
It*s funny how "epic" is quite subjective. I suppose I*m going for the obvious definition of a strong central idea brought to life through judicious use of helicopter shots.
The idea, however, has to be able to support it. There*s a great example of an Irish TV spot (betraying my roots here) which had a Run Lola Run theme, only with explosions and chases and mysterious crystals and it turned out, in one of the most ridiculed reveals ever, to be for a low fat margarine.
Ah! Irish, you just reminded me of one that might be considered "epic" tha ran in Ireland. I caught it on the tube christmas 99.... yeah, 99. Or maybe 00. I forget when the hell I was in Dublin. Anyway.
Camera pans on a beach looking out to the ocean. It*s black and white and gritty. Some amazing music starts, think Massive attack "teardrop". All the people from the town walk out to the beach and stare at the ocean. Mothers, sisters, brothers and so on. Then suddenly, people come walking out of the ocean as the music hits a crescendo, they find their sisters/friends on the beach and everyone embraces. The tag reads "Guinness - a generation returns"
ok, it was a lot better than I can describe it. I interpreted it to be a generation of lager drinkers have now returned to the one and only pint (hehe) but as my Irish pals explained, it was about the generation that left the country to find work elsewhere. Now that the economy was better they could return and get work/bring their skills/start businesses at home. Hence a generation returns. That*s a pretty epic thought for a beer ad.
Just to make it easier for people rading the thread so that they don*t have to search here*s links to the ones you mentioned
Stella Artois - Pilot - (2004) 120 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/115050.php
Sony Playstation 2 / PS2 - Mountain (2004) 060
http//ad-rag.com/111236.php
Nike Play - Tag (2001) - 090 (USA)
http//ad-rag.com/4664.php
and I*ll add to that with this playstation advert!
Playstation 2 / PS2 - Signs, aka Red Balloon (2002) - 060 (USA)
http//ad-rag.com/5901.php
Awesome. Thanks everyone.
I hadn*t seen that Fiat commercial before. Fantastic.
Keep them coming. Any others?
I always liked this Nike commercial. Epic in emotion vs. Epic in scale and helicopter shots.
http//www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2421425?htv=12
British Airways with the moving pieces of the face is my favourite.
grin
The 1989 one right?
British Airways - Bringing people together / Face - (1989) 90 (UK)
http//ad-rag.com/119216.php
I think the Captial One*s barbarian-horde spots (like http//ad-rag.com/117577.php) do a good job as pseudo-epics, playing the Braveheart-like scenes for laughs.
>>The 1989 one right?
>>
>>British Airways - Bringing people together / Face - (1989) 90 (UK)
>>http//ad-rag.com/119216.php
Yup, it*s intriging, great to watch over and over, the idea of unity is nice (gives me warm fuzzies) and the music selected is absolutely awesome! Imagine the budget to put this baby together!! eek
Playstation Double Life
http//archives.canneslions.com/includes/movie.cfm?id=9636&type=1&qual=2
tom
http//www.booktom.com
YES! I love this little kid in it
"I*ve conquered worlds.."
It*s just the way he says it. Great kid.
Nobody mentioned AIDES music video story yet? It*s Epic in length at least. razz
http//ad-rag.com/120600.php
ooh yeah. I liked that one.
Also that MasterCard trilogy about the lost dog "Badger"
http//ad-rag.com/109350.php
http//ad-rag.com/109351.php
http//ad-rag.com/109352.php
eBay "Toy Boat" is sorta epic in the storytelling
http//ad-rag.com/115057.php
Nice, Bernbucks. I had never seen that before. Fantastic.
How sad is my life?
at 715 this morning the alarm went off and I was busy in the middle of a dream. It had birds in it, flying high in the sky, and below them cyclists racing down the roads (I suspect the latter image came from falling asleep during the sports recap of Tour de France ) - anyway... Then I realize that all those cyclists who are mimicking the birds above are racing towards a goal.. Not only that the noise of hundreds of bikes was sounding more and more like a flock of hummingbirds... and the goal that they were racing to was a KFC resturant - now connecting the whole bird-theme into a bucket of fried! This made complete sense in the dream even if that sound really lame now. And then I thought that was a commercial I had somewhere in the archive and made a mental note that I should link that here in this thread because it was "epic".
Well then I woke up and thought "what the heck kind of commercial was that?
Heheh. Well, that*s what you get for relying on vibrating mobile phones to be your alarm (the humming bird sound), and thinking waaaaaay too much about this website. Sad. wink
Anyway, the closest thing in "look" to what I dreamt is pretty good, VW Pink moon 2001
http//ad-rag.com/5280.php
A few more to add to the pot.. With a pinch of salt and stir...
http//ad-rag.com/119221.php
Coco Chanel - Vanessa Paradis, Stormy weather
Can*t decide if I think this one or the Egoiste one ( http//ad-rag.com/119225.php ) is more "epic" but they were both impressive, for perfume ads.
However when Chanel tried to be epic it all ended up being cheesy. Nicole KIdman Chanel ad http//ad-rag.com/114991.php
Dunlop Tyres, tested for the unexpected
http//ad-rag.com/119346.php
http//ad-rag.com/119228.php
Guess jeans - Cheat
I didnt fancy it much but I recall the commotion when it came out, it was long, ut was b/w, it had Traci Lords and Juliette Lewis in it. Etc.
Levis - Condom - (1995)
http//ad-rag.com/119241.php
Might be called Epic just for the whole way it* set in the 30s/has really expensive soundtrack.. etc. Or hell, i just dig it.
I*d also add
Wheetabix - Scarecrow
http//ad-rag.com/121999.php