The Cat Dish
  • Musings
  • Food
  • #CatTravels
  • #BabyFox
  • #40trails
  • Videos
  • About Me
  • Contact

Look at your TV, now back to this blog

By Catherine Toth Fox • December 23, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Look at your TV, now back to me, now back to your TV.

That line catapulted the commercial for Old Spice into pop culture — and topped the list of Time’s Top 10 TV commercials of 2010.

Time came out with its Top 10 Everything of 2010, which includes the everything from fleeting celebrities (Steven Slater) to the latest food trend (The New Naturalism). And, of course, TV commericals were among the categories.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE
Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

More than 26 million people have viewed the Old Spice commercial on YouTube, making the Old Spice Guy a cultural phenomenon.

I was a little surprised it topped the list, since I do prefer the second-place finisher: Snickers featuring Betty White. (The one with Aretha Franklin is classic, too.) It only has 2.5 million views on YouTube — but it got millions more when it aired during the Super Bowl earlier this year.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Sv_z9jm8A
Snickers featuring Betty White

Rounding out Time’s Top 5 are Nike’s epic “Write the Future” ad that featured World Cup icons, Google’s “Parisian Love” and the new Windows Phone 7.

For your viewing pleasure — since I know you’re not really working and likely shopping online:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSggaxXUS8k
Nike | Write the Future

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU
Google | Parisian Love

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHlN21ebeak
Really | New Windows Phone 7

Got any favorites to add?

***

CAT’S GIFT IDEAS

SHOPPING DAYS LEFT: 2

TODAY’S GIFT IDEA: Logo T-shirt from W&M Bar-B-Q Burger

no images were found

Got a gift idea? Send ’em my way at [email protected].

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

Subscribe to Nonstop Honolulu on YouTube »

RECENT BLOG POSTS

Cat Chat episode 7: Holiday wine pairings
ASK DR. DISH: Regifting is great!
Preferring the imperfect Christmas
FUUD: Your favorite pho
Sign a friendship contract?
Cat Chat episode 6: iPad, iDunno
Your favorite Christmas flicks
Pampering your pets
FUUD: Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza in Kalihi
Nook or Kindle — or not
Cat Chat episode 5: Scarfing

TOP BLOG POSTS

Amber-Lynn Hyden’s Top 5
New eats: Zaratez Mexicatessen
Introducing Cat Chat
Top 10 best memories of Europe
Top 10 first dates
36 hours of eating in Maui
North Shore Eats

2010advertisementsBetty Whitefeatured_blogs_offledeGoogleHawaiiNikeOld SpiceOld Spice GuyParisian LoveSnickersTimeTop 10 Everything of 2010TothTVWindows Phone 7World CupWrite the Future
Tweet
18
Cat Chat episode 7: Holiday wine pairings
FUUD: Shogunai Tacos

About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

You Might Also Like

  • Anyone Else Feeling Like You’re Failing at This?

  • It’s Hard To Say Goodbye—So I Won’t

  • Was 2020 Really That Bad?

  • Here’s What Happened To My Dog Indy

18 Comments

  • Reply MaxMaxMax December 22, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    I can see the Old Spice commercial being #1. First, his satirical delivery of macho lines was spot on… the best being the random final line, “I’m on a horse!” (hahahaha)

    Betty White’s commercial was funny as well, but we’ve all been introduced to her and her brand of comedy for years now (depending on your age since the Mary Tyler Moore show, or Golden Girls). Funny, but not unexpected laughs.

    I just think the odd and non-accustomed delivery of the Old Spice guy was what really hit everyone in the funny bone. Every single time it came on, my GF would laugh out loud at the last line… every time.

    I actually think the Aretha Franklin/Liza Minnelli Snickers commercial would be a worthy rival for the #1 spot.

    • Reply Cat December 23, 2010 at 1:30 am

      @MaxMaxMax I still love the hamsters commercial for Kia. “You can get with this — or you can get with that.” One of my all-time favorites — and I don’t know why beyond the fact that I just love that song.

    • Reply dbjack December 27, 2010 at 2:20 am

      @Cat @MaxMaxMax Amen to that, love the Kia Soul commercials with the hamsters and I like the one with Michelle Wie. Still love the image of the trash talking country club types being silenced by being outdriven by 50+ yards by ‘a woman’ LOL. Being a 50+ year old white guy I get to listen to them talk trash about her… not one of them could take her even if they were spotted 10 strokes but they still talk a lot of trash. Thought that commercial captured that brilliantly.

  • Reply MaxMaxMax December 22, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    By the way Cat, you need to take out the “v” in the link after http

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=owGykVbfgUE#!
    should be:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=owGykVbfgUE#!

    • Reply Cat December 23, 2010 at 1:30 am

      @MaxMaxMax Thanks! Fixed it!

  • Reply CodyZamboni December 22, 2010 at 9:05 pm

    one I can recall that was very amusing was the Geico commercial with the little pig crying ” wee, wee, wee” all the way home. That pig sticking his head out the window of the car, screaming ” weeee” and the annoyed looks of the driver were priceless. that one made me laugh.

    • Reply harrycovair December 23, 2010 at 5:51 am

      @CodyZamboni The first time I saw the Pig “Wee. Wee. Wee.” commercial I thought it was cute. The second time I saw it I was already thinking Suckling Pig for dinner.

  • Reply Ynaku December 22, 2010 at 9:38 pm

    Working? Of course I’m working! On my IPAD that is 🙂 Hey it’s my last day of work for the year. I GOTTA (love that yeah) GOTTA take 4 days off. Use it or lose it. So I’m gone for the year. Did my year end cleaning yesterday. Dumped a LOAD of stuff. I can see my desk again. Yep I was right, the desk was brown. 🙂

    Love Betty White. That Nike one was pretty good. IMHO, that Geico pig commercial just irritates me. Maybe that’s why it works…NOT!!! turn the channel. But gotta love the commercial writers.

    • Reply Cat December 23, 2010 at 1:29 am

      @Ynaku You know, I’m not a fan of any of those Geico commercials. Should I be? Do people like the gecko…?

    • Reply Ynaku December 23, 2010 at 8:25 am

      @Cat @Ynaku No, I don;t like the gecko 🙂

  • Reply johngarcia December 22, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    Love the google spot! Very smart!

    • Reply Cat December 23, 2010 at 1:29 am

      @johngarcia I’m a big fan of that commercial, too. Simple, effective. But every time I hear that Old Spice jingle, I think of you! 🙂

  • Reply WildeOscar December 23, 2010 at 1:06 am

    These are fantastic. I rarely watch television, mostly because of the commercials. Getting to see only the choicest of commercials and none of the stuff in between is a rare treat. I will consider it a great Holiday gift. Thank you!

  • Reply chant808 December 23, 2010 at 3:36 am

    LOL… Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice Guy) is a man built for TV. Aside from maybe just a teensy crush, I always cite him as a great example of how having an interesting, offbeat personality can be a great marketing asset 😛

  • Reply harrycovair December 23, 2010 at 5:47 am

    I don’t know if any of these commercials would be in my top 5. Commercials are supposed to be jingly or funny or something that will get your attention and keep it there so that you remember the product that is trying to be sold or marketed.The Old Spice one is okay but it just didn’t hold my attention.

    My favorite commercials change year after year and it’s usually during the Superbow that I’ll see one that’s hilariously off-the-wall, like the Betty White Snickers commercial. There is one commercial that I will put above all others even to this day. It was shown only once on TV and only during the 2002 Superbowl. Yeah, I’m man enough to admit it made my eyes sweat when I saw it.

    Small screen: https://www.snopes.com/rumors/tributes/budweiser.asp
    or
    Larger screen: https://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u90/snopesbinary/Commercials/?action=view&current=Budweiser.mp4

    or you can just YouTube search for: Budweiser 911 tribute.

  • Reply 808marv December 23, 2010 at 9:52 am

    Maybe not the best of the year, but I thought these Lost-related Target ads were pretty funny (if you watched the show of course):
    Target + LOST: Numbers
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVna2rTdT30

    Target + LOST: Smokey
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWOdhB-_ATc

    Target + LOST: Ribs @harrycovair should like this one!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffVeozsjsI

    • Reply harrycovair December 23, 2010 at 10:58 pm

      Never saw those TV commerials. Then again I hardly watch TV anymore, except for HI 5-0 and the local nightly news.

    • Reply harrycovair December 23, 2010 at 10:59 pm

      @808marv Never saw those TV commerials. Then again I hardly watch TV anymore, except for HI 5-0 and the local nightly news. The Target BBQ sauce one was funny.

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

Latest Posts

  • Anyone Else Feeling Like You’re Failing at This?

    March 8, 2022
  • It’s Hard To Say Goodbye—So I Won’t

    January 29, 2021
  • Was 2020 Really That Bad?

    December 31, 2020
  • Here’s What Happened To My Dog Indy

    December 10, 2020
  • I Did Noom For a Month and Here’s What Happened

    October 7, 2020
Follow me on Forbes Travel Guide

Visit Travel Blog Exchange

Made with in Seattle

© 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.