Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Roddick vs. Pong: Best or Worst Commercial Ever?

My new favorite commercial is American Express's Andy Roddick vs. Pong spot:

They've been airing it non-stop during the US Open, and I've yet to get sick of it (which already speaks to the quality of the ad). I can't decide, though, whether this is a brilliant example of viral marketing (they have an online game to go with the TV commercial, complete with code to embed in your blog) or a total failure, since it took me about five viewings to even remember who the commercial was for.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. The fewer the times a company blares their name during an ad, the more enjoyable the ad is. But I always find this type of ad--more of a sponsored mini-movie that subtly gets their point across than a product pitch--intriguing in a "Well, yeah, I love it, but does it really make me want to use their service?" sort of way. I mean, it's not like American Express needs to up their name recognition or anything.

Although I suppose crap like this post I'm writing is what makes it work for them. That's why they call it viral, right?

Eh? What's that? The game? Sigh. Here you go:

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