Valentine’s Day Special–Spots We “Love”
In the spirit of Valentine's Day we're showing some love to a few TV spots out there that we think deserve a shoutout. From DRTV favourites to ad stars at the Super Bowl, we rounded up 5 current TV spots that we, yes, love. In no particular order, here are our top picks:
President's Choice - #EatTogether
After conducting their own studies on Canadian eating habits, Loblaw's President's Choice food product brand identified a nation-wide problem where only 38% of Canadians eat dinner with their friends and family four to six times a week. Instead, most people choose to watch TV, listen to the radio or surf the web while eating. This kicked off the #EatTogether campaign early last year, in which President's Choice calls on Canadians to ditch their devices and distractions and sit on the dinner table with their loved ones and eat dinner.
In the 90-second spot, a young woman convinces her computer-obsessed roommate to help set up their dining table right outside their apartment door and attempt to gather all their neighbors to join for dinner. Unsurprisingly, this works, and soon the dining table is stretched all the way down the hall, seating a very happy–and might we add, very diverse–group of neighbors eating dinner as a community. This spot perfectly captures a problem and introduces a solution while creating a brand value for the company. The simple message #EatTogether is sure to resonate with Canadians everywhere.
Tide - 'It's A Tide Ad'
We had to sneak in a few Super Bowl 52 ads into our list, especially ones we still can't stop talking about. Tide earns a spot on our list with their stellar "It's A Tide Ad" spot starring David Harbour from Stranger Things. The spot pokes fun of cliche Super Bowl commercials of all genres–car ads, fizzy drinks, and even DRTV–to prove they are all essentially Tide ads
because of the clean clothes used throughout.
In just 45 seconds, not only does Tide distinguish themselves from other cookie-cutter commercials and crown themselves as the best in the game, they also clean up some of that PR mess caused by the Tide Pods Challenge that took over social media last month. The spot is memorable and is climbing YouTube's trending list, currently sitting at #5 with four million views and counting. It's safe to say Tide outdid themselves with this one and set the bar high for brand advertising.
Flex Seal - Flex Glue
Flex Seal is back with yet another waterproof adhesive product suitable for every need. This DR spot perfectly captures the need for Flex Glue without coming off as too gimmicky. Spokesman Phil Swift is a natural at selling Flex Glue's adhesive abilities as a "super strong rubberized glue" by demonstrating its use for various construction jobs like gluing small or large bricks together. The 120-second spot shows Flex Glue's application on any and all materials and promises its functionality in any weather conditions including intense rainfall, making it also waterproof. Halfway through the spot we are left thinking "is there anything Flex Glue can't fix?" From the spot's engaging presenter to the well-written script and endless demo shots, this spot is DRTV at its finest and we love it.
Amazon - 'Alexa Loses Her Voice'
As voice assistance gains populatrity among consumers, companies like Amazon and Google are facing a huge opportunity to compete for users' attention via ads on their products, namely Amazon Echo and Google Home. Amazon seized an opportunity to target the biggest audience on television during the Super Bowl with their hilarious star-studded commercial for Alexa, a voice-activated personal assistant found in Amazon Echo products.
In the spot, Alexa 'loses her voice', sending everyone at Amazon HQ– including Jeff Bezos himself–in chaos looking for immediate substitutes. With the not-so-helpful help of celebrities like Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B and Sir Anthony Hopkins, the 60-second spot humorously tells us that sometimes, it's best to leave personal assistance to pro's like Alexa herself. We are fans of this spot because Amazon successfully personifies Alexa, a product whose intelligence is artificially made. Instead of crafting a storyline where Alexa's battery dies, Amazon humanizes the problem to one we can all relate to. In doing so the product becomes that much more attractive and appealing to the consumer, proving success for the brand and justifying the company's $14 million ad spend.
Simply Fit Board - 'Fun Workout' featuring Laurie Greiner
Shark Tank alum Simply Fit Board features Laurie Grenier in their 120-second DRTV spot that is nothing short of persuasive. The Simply Fit Board promises a fun and easy way to exercise and tone, and just like Flex Glue the spot does not overdo the narrative or exaggerate the product's benefits.
What makes this a good DRTV spot that is sure to make an impact is that it doesn't focus too much on the problem at hand, but the solution. The spot isn't allocating 60 seconds to display people being dissatisfied with their appearance. Instead, it spends time showcasing the many different features that come with Simply Fit Board, the offers viewers will receive with their order and multiple testimonials and demo shots from happy Simply Fit Board users. Overall the spot does a great job in capturing the product's usability and guarantees a fun workout that "doesn't really feel like a workout"–cueing music to viewers' ears. If that wasn't enough, Laurie Greiner promises a 60-second money back guarantee if a customer doesn't feel Simply Fit Board's immediate effect! We love the brand's confidence in their product that is clearly mirrored in this vibrant and fun ad (Fun Fact: This spot was produced by none other than Kingstar Direct!).