At the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, The One Club recognized the
top 10 automobile commercials from the past 25 years -- and none of them feature a car with
a bow on top.
The 10 ads you see below aren't your run-of-the-mill spots -- they represent the best in a
category that traditionally spends more than most others. And because buying a car is a bigger decision for most consumers, clients and agencies working on auto
accounts usually have to work harder to show them that their product is the one
worth shelling out for.
Among the judges that picked these 10 ads were Jeff Goodby of Goodby, Silverstein &
Partners, Mark Tutssel of Leo Burnett Worldwide, Cliff Freeman of Cliff Freeman & Partners,
Andy Azula of The Martin Agency, Bob Barrie of Barrie D'Rozario Murphy, Andy Fackrell of
DDB New Zealand, Jean Jennings of Automobile Magazine, and advertising legend George
Lois.
"Historically, some of the best work in advertising has been created for automotive clients,"
said Yash Egami, editor in chief at The One Club, in a statement.
Among the winners are more recent spots, such as Wieden & Kennedy's Eminem-starring
superhit "Born of Fire" for Chrysler, and the ever-lovable "The Force," created by Deutsch Los
Angeles for Volkswagen. A special public choice award was given to Saatchi Los Angeles for
2012's "Camry Reinvented" commercial for Toyota.
The oldest ad on the list is 1994's "Snow Covered," created by Bozell Worldwide for Chrysler
and Jeep, which comes in at No. 10. Check out all the winners below, ranked backwards.
10. "Snow Covered" -- Bozell Worldwide/Southfield and Chrysler/Jeep, directed by Eric Saarinen, Plum Productions -- 1994
9. "Milky Way" -- Arnold Worldwide/Boston and Volkswagen, directed by Dayton/Faris, Bob Industries -- 1999
8. "Lamp Post" -- BMP DDB/London and Volkswagen, directed by Paul Gay, Outsider -- 1998
7. "Toys" - TBWAChiatDay/Los Angeles and Nissan, directed by Kinka Usher, House of Usher -- 1997
6. "Born of Fire" -- Wieden+Kennedy/Portland and Chrysler, directed by Samuel Bayer, Serial -- 2011
5. "Sheet Metal" -- Goodby, Silverstein & Partners/San Francisco and Saturn, directed by Noam Murro, Biscuit -- 2002
4. "The Hire" -- Fallon/Minneapolis and BMW, more popularly known as "BMW Films". Below is one of the series, "Ambush" directed by John Frankenheimer -- 2001
3. "The Force" -- Deutsch/Los Angeles and Volkswagen, directed by Lance Acord, Park Pictures -- 2011
2. "Cog" - Wieden+Kennedy/London and Honda, directed by Antoine Bardot-Jacquet -- 2003
1. "Grrr" -- Wieden+Kennedy/London and Honda, directed by Smith & Foulkes -- 2004