My Favorite TV Commercials of 09

"I Think the mainstream is coming to what we are doing... rather than the other way around". P. Diddy, South Florida Sun Sentinel by Rod Safford Hagwood

Before we go on to the #1 commercial, lets first review the other picks and why:

5 - Nike’s Xmas Basketball Puppet 'Throwdown' - Shrewd use of puppets targeting urban youth who are not that far removed from watching Sesame Street, but are now the leading sneaker market segment. But, we should include their parents in this segment, because they are still footing the bill!

#4 - The Marine Corp “Black History Month” - Artfully links a cultural pride message within the overarching Marine Corp theme of "be one of us – the few, the proud, the marines."

#3 - McDonald's Cafe featuring Dwele - Picks-up on the urban coffee house dynamic seen in the 1950's (Beat Generation) and 1960's (Black Power Movement) that has become revitalized with the urban living set, the urban intelligentsia and Nu Soul crowd.

#"2" - Levi's The New Americans Go Forth in quotations - Brilliant concept and execution, but it rings hollow for me with Levi's standing in the wings for 20 years while Hip-Hop culture revolutionized the American and global causal jeans marketplace.

Now, with no more ado, onto my favorite, #1, numero uno TV Commercial for 09. Lights, camera, action…The scene opens with these fleeting black and white images of an architecturally classic modernist house, maybe by Paul Williams, circa 1960’s set somewhere in the Hollywood, Beverly or Sugar Hills of Los Angeles.

A vintage turntable starts to spin with the boom of Old Blue Eyes singing “Come fly with me, come fly with me” makes the scene recognizable, iconic, and classy. But, it takes your brain a minute to jog around before it starts factoring in that the images you are seeing are largely African Americans at dinner party or after party in formal evening attire listening to Old Blue Eyes.

They are partying, unwinding and enjoying some drinks. The drink is indubitably some a new product launch for the white spirits market, but P. Diddy flips the audience from purveyor of Hip-hop culture into mainstream culture and uses it within the context of this spirits ad, and pull it off wonderfully. As a consequence, this spot is our #1. Pulling this cultural flip off was also nothing arbitrary either.

Fact is - African American contributions and their presence have long been present in Hollywood for close to a century. They have not only lived in Hollywood, but they have been architects to the stars and movie moguls, as well as servants too.

Black architect Paul Williams designed the homes of Anthony Quinn, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Danny Thomas, ‘Old Blue Eyes’ himself Frank Sinatra (Palm Springs), as well as Lucielle Ball and Desi Arnaz. He also worked on the Beverly Hills Hotel, the LAX airport’s theme building, and several other commercial properties.

A family friend, the late Bill Jackson was an ‘all-around-man’ or servant for David O. Selznick (producer of Gone With The Wind) back in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. As it’s passed down in family lore Bill had to pull Selznick out of the swimming pool one night after he came home after having too many from one of those Hollywood dinner parties.

Much and little has changed since then as P. Diddy poignantly demonstrates in the Chiroc ad. He evens adds another important element while summoning what looks to be the Bentley for a female guest with “Drink Responsibly” as a voice-over, i.e. that drinking responsibly is further defined not only as responsible, but as now cool even, elegant and chivalrous.

This should be a seminal moment in advertising, this was the signal for what is to come. I also forgot to mention my least favorite TV commercial which was the Dr. Pepper spot with Dr. Dre - "Slow is Good". Besides the Dr. link it gives the appearance of having just stuck a rapper in the spot in an attempt to be cool, hip and with it’. I didn’t buy it, but what do I know, because I assume it made it out research testing?