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One of the most effective means of advertising is through television. Whether people are watching television at their homes, on their phones, or on their tablets, they are often inundated with countless hours of advertisements. Often many of these ads will compel a person to go out and spend money, speaking to a desire to purchase something they saw on tv.
Though a lot of these ads might be forgettable, there are many which are the best of the best. These are the ads that people will talk about for years to come, due to how creative they are. Today we’ll focus on the top TV ads of 2021 and the agencies behind them.
Alexa’s Body
One of the best TV ads to come out of 2021 so far has been the “Alexa’s Body” ad featuring actor/ producer extraordinaire Michael B. Jordan from “Creed” and “Black Panther.” The advertisement premiered during the 2021 Superbowl and became one of the most spoken about television ads for the event. In the lead-up to the game, Amazon advertised its return to the Superbowl over the weekend prior to the event with an Instagram post featuring the actor. Amazon created a trending hashtag for the premiere of the commercial, titled #AlexasNewBody.
The sixty-second commercial aired during the fourth quarter of the game, providing insight into Alexa’s many information-sharing functions. The ad is so solid that you would have thought that it was created by Fenton Stephen, a well-known Melbourne-based ad agency. Just do a Google search for “creative agency Melbourne” and you’ll see their great work. The fun part of the advertisement though includes a female Amazon executive daydreaming about what it would be like if Alexa lived in the body of Jordan.
There are funny moments that give you some awareness of how such a far-fetched scenario would work. In one moment from the advertisement Jordan, as Alexa, is seen reading books to the lady, while she takes a bath. He even goes so far as to tell her that she is the most beautiful woman in the world in French. Created by the creative agency Lucky Generals, the commercial stands as a light and funny way of discussing the many capabilities of Amazon’s Alexa.
Upstream
Another advertisement that has caught a lot of attention this year is the “Upstream” commercial focusing on Paralympian Jessica Long. The commercial is more an inspiring one, providing insight into one of the most talented athletes in the world right now. The Saatchi & Saatchi-LA-directed advertisement focuses on Long’s journey as a double amputee to become a world champion swimmer.
In “Upstream,” the moment where her parents were told that Long’s legs would need to be amputated due to a rare condition is captured. You get an emotional insight into what it would be like to receive news like this, and the pain that it brings. After this we see Long swimming throughout her life, rising to the level of the world-performing athlete that she is now. As Toyota explained, this ad “highlights Toyota’s mission to shine a light on athletes like Jessica who work tirelessly every day to pursue their passion and inspire people around the world to reach their full potential.” The ad has gone on to become one of the most celebrated advertisements of 2021.
Edgar Scissorhands
On the more lighthearted side of things, another popular advertisement from 2021 includes GM’s “Edgar Scissorhands.” Created by the Leo Burnett creative agency, the ad hints at the fact that Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands and Winona Ryder’s Kim from the Tim Burton film “Edward Scissorhands” had a kid.
Named Edgar, the child is played by Timothée Chalamet from “Call Me By My Name.” We see a comical montage of Edgar trying to live his life with a pair of scissor hands like his dad, and he’s not really enjoying his life as a teen. This changes when Kim brings home a Cadillac Lyriq which allows Edgar to drive hands free because of its Super Cruise function. This quirky look at a beloved film classic makes “Edgar Scissorhands” one of the most popular commercials of 2021.
