Is there one commercial out there that might have actually caused you to purchase one product over another? Is there one that sticks with you in a positive way (Bad Andy and the 'Noid notwithstanding)?
For me, it’s the Volkswagen Cabrio commercial featuring four teenagers driving through the night towards a party and accompanied by the music of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon. I don’t know what it is, but that commercial, as manipulative as it surely must be, captures something for me.
I just realized I’m probably in the wrong forum for this…
~wanders away quietly hoping no one will notice, or that the mods use the sky hook gently while tossing errant threads~
I’ll keep thinking about the ‘purchased a product over another’ and answer just the favorite commercial for right now.
I love the soap commerical that shows a little boy, less than a year old dousing the head of a massive Rottweiller, lying next to him, with dirt using a little sand pail. Then the dog gets up, turns around and starts digging in the dirt, covering the little boy with dirt, who starts laughing like crazy!
Off hand though, I can’t remember buying something just because it was advertised, though I’m one of those that doesn’t care for the ‘Bad Andy’, but I don’t like Domino’s pizza either. I’m a Pizza Hut gal, meself! 
I love two right now"
This guy is parked in a VW, and it looks like he is arguing with himself or yelling at the car. Then his friend opens the door and you hear “Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto, for being there just when I needed you!” blaring out of the car. Then you see them both jamming down the road.
A political one - a man just looks confused, and then these cartoons come - an elephant and a donkey.
Elephant: MY dad was president.
Donkey: I invented the internet.
E: I wear my dad’s pants.
D: I invented pants.
Cracks me up every time! 
considering I make commercials for a living…
I can’t believe people watch that crap. 
Is it me or if you owned a Jeep & it splattered mud all over you, your wife, your dog & your house, wouldn’t you be ticked off?
The milk commercial with the four old men throwing peas and spit balls and the the four young guys in the resaurant. It’s been on for a while but it still cracks me up.
My favorite is Nordstroms “Reinvent the compliment”-
It begins with a woman opening the door to greet her date. Upon seeing how breathtaking she looks, he lets his umbrella fall to the side and stands in the rain, just looking at her. The look on the guy’s face gets me every time.
For me it’s the “cat-herding” commercial for… EDS computing services?
Another one of my favorites was the Nike “slasher” commercial, in which the screaming female victim kicks into fifth-gear and leaves the killer gasping and wheezing in her dust. “Why exercise? You’ll live longer.” Too bad NBC chickened out and pulled the ad during the Olympics.
The bratty kid who gets whalloped with the Yellow Pages that happen to fall open to “Military Schools.”
Actually, it’s for Snickers. (“Gonna be there awhile?”)
D:“Space shuttle? That was mine.”
This makes me so dorky but I can’t help it. The Pampers commercial where they show cute little baby animals with their parents hynpotizes me with that high “awww” factor. Rod Stewart’s Forever Young playing in the background puts the extra icing on the cake.
~sniffle~
DAMN you OrcaChow!! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!
I wanted to be the first person to mention that one! Its the best commercial ever.
Repeats on the Elections with Snickers and the old guys’ “Got Milk?”…
Also for “Got Milk?”: “Aawon Buw!” “What?” “Aawon Buw!!”
“Oohhhh…I’m sorry - next caller.” “Grawawawwfff…(whine)”
BTW…adcritic.com has a lot of the more recent commercials online so that you can watch, if you so desire. I don’t watch TV a lot, so it’s a bit helpful, esp. with recent stuff (i.e., the Snickers election one).
I love the VW commercial with the little yuppie chick talking about how she adores Speed Metal music, and once got so excited at a show she passed out… and here she looks so… J. Crew and suburban.
Crocus.
Yeah.
I like the new 7-UP commercials, starring the black guy from ‘The Replacements’ movie. When he starts a ‘send me picture of your can’ promotion, and he gets people sending in pictures of their butts…funny stuff.
The one where he tries to put a six-pack on the soda shelf and knocks over all the other sixer’s is a classic.
The Hallmark commericals they show every Christmas and any other time of the year, can get me in tears.
Also, the folgers Christmas commerical where the son comes home from college and its a surprise. His little sister comes downstairs and he makes coffee, to wake the rest of the family. < thats a box of kleenex there>
MY CHALUPA!!! (Next time watch the people at the counter in the background)
Also, I used to love the Sprite “Death Slug” commercial, but none of the online commercial sites have that clip. Slug on a stick! Nice!
I must second (third?) the vote for the Snickers political commercial. (“My dad and I wear the same pants.” “I invented pants.”) It’s nice to see something amusing amongst the 14 MILLION OBNOXIOUS, MUD-SLINGING, BORING-AS-HELL POLITICAL ADS now cluttering up the airways. God, I can’t wait until the election is over.
Aawon Buw is a timeless classic that seems to work it’s way into a conversation at least once a month.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the “Go Raincheck” commercial.
Also, I want to praise the entire line of ESPN Sportscenter commercials. I laugh so hard I hurt.
The Zoom Zoom commercial for a car - I love that one. My dog gets into it too.