And the Campaign of the Decade is…

Last week AdweekMedia announced their “best of the decade list”.  First, I need to give AdWeekMedia credit; they actually made a “best of list” that I liked.  Most “best of” lists are quickly put together, and not well-thought out.  AdWeekMedia’s is not the case.  They did a very complete job, you all should go look at their Best of Section here.

They named Apple’s Campaign “Get a Mac” the campaign of the decade.  Adweekmedia feels that the campaign of over 60 spots did a great job personalizing the rivalry (even the heads of the Cos.) and showing the difference between the two companies.  In the description they said:

For Apple, the campaign managed the neat trick of making the brand look laid back and cool while it mercilessly skewered its rival. —Barbara Lippert

This campaign wouldn’t be my first choice, but I like that the people of AdWeekMedia thought outside the box and gave it to a technology company who was thinking outside the box.  It was a very influential campaign.   The commercials are quite entertaining, do a good job of personalizing the difference between the two computer companies and played a big role in making the Mac such a strong brand.

I have to say, this is not my pick of campaign of the decade.  Off the top of my head I can think of 2 others, and AdWeekMedia gave me an idea of a third for my top three.  Here are my nominees for Campaign of the year:

• iPod – “Silhouette dancing” – This commercial made the iPod more than a MP3 player.  This campaign made music a part of everyday life.  Their portrayal of happiness/fun for all users was both entertaining and effective.  Their use of diverse music types  and colors made everyone in the target market for an iPod.  Who wouldn’t want that kind of fun in your life.  In my opinion, this campaign is much more influential than “Buy a Mac”.
• Carl’s Junior – “If it Doesn’t get all over the place… It doesn’t belong in your face” – Great campaign which revitalized Carl’s Junior as a fast food destination and most importantly did a great job showcasing their food.  We all knew it was just fast food, but they sure made it look better than that.
• Truth Ads – Did a great job of combining advertising and publicity by SHOWING (and not telling) the public the shady things that the tobacco companies have done.  A great way to present the shocking information, these commercials had people talking.

So there are my top 3 campaigns (I can think of now).  I know as soon as I post this, about 10 others will pop into my head.  What was your favorite campaign of the decade?

Follow Todd on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/toddliss