Mortgage company Ameriquest became 2005’s overachiever with a pair of sleeper hits from DDB Direct L.A. and director Craig Gillespie. Both show people who land in situations where they seem to be something they are not -- a lead-in to Ameriquest's pledge to not judge borrowers too harshly.

In this one, a man preparing a surprise dinner ends up looking like a cat killer. In the other, a cellphone talker is mistaken for a stickup artist ("Robbery") and is unceremoniously maced and beaten. Both wound up in the top 10 of USA Today’s 2005 Ad Meter, enough to encourage the Super Bowl first-timer to come back with two spots in 2006 ("Friendly Skies," "Doctor"). The subprime mortgage business would not, however, support Super Bowl advertising any further than 2006.

Copywriters: Pat McKay, Josh Fell. Art directors: Feh Tarty, Michael Mittelstaedt. Agency producer: Vanessa MacAdam. Production company: MJZ.  Editing: Spot Welders. Editor: Haines Hall. 

BRAND: Ameriquest

YEAR: 2005

AGENCY: DDB

SUPERBOWL: XXXIX

QUARTER AIRED: Q3