The Best And Worst Commercials Of The 2012 Summer Olympics

08/09/2012 1:00 pm by

Olympic Rings 600x290 The Best And Worst Commercials Of The 2012 Summer OlympicsIt’s safe to say that these Olympics have consumed my life. I check the official NBC site regularly throughout the day and have the iPhone app at the ready at all times. Even though I more or less forget entirely that things like water polo exist in a regular year, during the Olympics, I sweat over match results and cry over every single victory.

For all of their triumphs of human spirit and inspiring examples of achievement and sportsmanship, the Olympics are also big BIG business. So there are some pretty high-profile commercials playing during them. Here are my picks for best and worst commercials of the 2012 London Olympics.

Best: Target – “Acceptance”

A montage of kids reading their acceptance notifications from their dream schools that ends with me in a puddle on the floor. I’m on the other side of college: the cynical, sheepish side that comes with a lot of debt. But I’m not so hardened that I can’t appreciate how good that feeling is, to work hard toward a goal and to have your accomplishments and your potential recognized, to get an opportunity.

Best: Sears Appliances – “The Beach”

*snort* So great. The first time I saw this commercial, I was rolling my eyes so hard at the beginning that I sprained something. Two beautiful, young, manic pixie dream people having a beautiful, young, perfect day on the beach barfbarfbar–Oh, but wait. HAAA! They ran into a refrigerator! Perfect.

Best: Nike – “Find Your Greatness – Jogger”

I started jogging two years ago. It was and still is very, very hard for me. I get insecure thinking about how I must look, but I keep going and do it for myself. I like that some people see that as greatness.

Alright, enough of that heartfelt stuff. Let’s start tearing some new ones around here.

Worst: Ragu – “Long Day of Childhood – Parents’ Bedroom”

Conceptually, this commercial is pretty hilarious. But it’s for spaghetti sauce. Do you really want people to think about their parents boning while they’re eating your product?

Worst: Mitt Romney – “Olympics”

So, disclosure: I’m, uh, not a fan of Romney. But I have no interest in debating the merits of the argument presented in this commercial. I’m just very amused by its existence and the underlying message of, “So you like watching the Olympics? Well, if you don’t vote Romney, the Olympics COULD GO AWAY FOREVER!” I may be reading too much into it, but jeez, Mitt. Why don’t you just threaten to kill some kittens while you’re at it?

Worst: Internet Explorer 9 – “A More Beautiful Web”

I wasn’t really planning on using Internet Explorer, but then you used some dubstep in your commercial. Now I’m really not going to use it.

What commercials have you seen during the Olympics that you’ve loved or hated?

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About Kelly Delaney

Kelly, aka kdiddy, is a full-time working stiff and a part-time angsty writer in Pittsburgh, PA. Her attempts to be a good mom and wife have mixed results.

Filed Under: Advertising, Fail, Internet, Olympics, Television, Things That Are Awesome, Things That Suck, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, TV, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,


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  • http://www.sweetney.com Sweetney

    Oh my god, every time that IE commercial comes on I sprain my eyeballs rolling them SO HARD. GIVE IT UP, MICROSOFT, YOU WILL NEVER BE COOL.

  • Snarky_Amber

    That Mitt Romney ad is so delightfully funny, I’m still convinced it’s really an SNL parody because what in the love of fucks is that shit?

    • DianaCLT

      I find your “What in the love of fucks” delightful and shall be incorporating it into as many conversations/day as possible.

      (Would it be wrong to use it when talking to my kids? I mean, she’s a pretty mature 5 year old. And he’s nearly 10. If potty humor is so effing funny, can you imagine how he’d respond to “WITLOF”?!?)

      • Snarky_Amber

        Teach them well and let them lead the way, Diana.

  • issascrazyworld

    I adore that dang running commercial.

  • NinaN2

    I love the message of the running commercial. But part of me can’t help but feel they are exploiting that boy just a bit. I would feel it more if there was some other story behind the casting decision, Like the boy wrote a letter to Nike telling them how hard he was working to improve his health and how he loved his running shoes and Nike decided to make a motivational commercial out of it. But i’m betting it was more along the lines of the ad company telling the casting company to find them an overweight kid who could run for a little bit. But, I am probably over-thinking this….

    • crabby appleseed

      The thing, I would agree with you if it seemed at all like they were mocking him, in any way, but the commercial is so well-done, everyone I’ve talked to about the commercial sees it as inspiring and makes us think of ourselves. They’re presenting the kid as one of us, not as “other”, if that makes sense. (I’ve probably thought about this too much, too.)

  • die Frau

    I’m a sucker for the Proctor & Gamble moms of Olympians commercials. I choke up every damn time–I’m apparently the perfect target audience.