Every night, our favorite TV programs are interrupted by a barrage of advertisements. However, in this deluge of commercials, there are a few adverts that truly stand out and tickle our funny bones. These ads aren’t easily forgettable, are funny, witty, and connect to us instantly.
As promised to you yesterday, we’re back with a list of some of the funniest ads that we’ve seen in recent years.
Here are our top 5 picks for the funniest commercials from the last decade.
1. Volkswagen (2010): Buying a Volkswagen From An Old Lady…
Buying a car from a sweet, old lady would be the safest bet, wouldn’t it? Well, think again! This Volkswagen ad will teach you to never judge a driver by their age!
The ad features a couple of young men arriving at an old lady’s house to purchase her car. They’re delighted to find that the owner is an old woman as they assume that she would have driven her car with the utmost care and caution. However, through several flashbacks, we see that the old lady has been on quite a few wild rides in that car.
However, Volkswagen beautifully places its brand in the ad and conveys the message that regardless of how crazy you drive, if it’s a Volkswagen, you and the car are always safe.
2. Hyundai (2016): (First Date)
The overprotective father trope is often overplayed. However, this Hyundai ad featuring Kevin Hart pitches it to absolute perfection.
The ad features Kevin Hart as a concerned father who allows his daughter to go on a date and offers the young couple his new car. However, this is done so that he can use the car’s impressive security features to keep track of their movements and know exactly where they are.
The way Hyundai infuses humor and its features is an excellent lesson in marketing for every budding marketer. Also, I think I’ll let it pass the next time my girlfriend’s father offers us his car to go on a date.
3. Amazon (2018): Alexa Loses Her Voice
Over the years, Alexa has often managed to nail their messaging with Alexa. This time, they did it with a 90-second spot that features a woman at home asking Alexa about the weather, but Alexa starts coughing up.
Cut to Amazon Headquarters, a worried-looking Jeff Bezos is seen being unconvincingly reassured by one of his colleagues that they have the situation under control and they already have the stand-ins in place.
The stand-ins include a star-studded cast of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, and Gordon Ramsay- all spectacularly failing to replace Alexa.
As the camera pulls away from the stand-ins, the real Amazon Alexa voice returns, reassuring everyone that she’s back. Thank goodness, that Anthony Hopkins’ impression of Hannibal Lecter was truly nerve-racking. Imagine if it were to replace Alexa’s voice for good!
4. Rema 1000 (2019): Smartmill
Although we are in the age of voice assistants, they can’t benefit us all the time; sometimes they lead to awfully funny situations as demonstrated by this ad from Rema.
The ad features the owner of a house where everything is controlled by voice, even his treadmill. However, there’s a small problem- there’s some interference from the radio. The treadmill obeying the “commands” of the radio regardless of whatever its exhausted user tries telling it to do forms the premise of this commercial.
There’s a reason why they say simplicity is key, after all!
5. The League (2020): Meet The Parents
This commercial from the dating app, The League, is every parent’s worst nightmare come true. The ad features a young girl arriving home to introduce her (actual) trash-can of a boyfriend to the family. And it escalates nicely from there.
The 30-second spot is one nicely timed joke with a couple of little escalations. Moreover, it fully conveys the brand message loud and clear i.e., “It’s time to up your dating game, or at the very least, your standards.”
Also, it takes potshots at other dating apps by driving home the point that guys on other dating sites are trash, and instead of settling for these trash cans, you could join The League. Very subtle, guys!
Bottom Line
While serving your content to the viewers with a touch of humor is sure to pay dividends, infusing it with your brand message will work wonders. Driving home your brand message with some laughter will enhance your brand awareness, which will consequently boost the purchase intent for your brand.
Hopefully, these 5 funny ads will give you some insights into how you can leverage humor to promote your brand.
We’ll be back with more such mind-blowing ad campaigns.
Till then, stay tuned.