WSJ's Best and Worst Ads of 2016

PuppyMonkeyBabyThe Wall Street Journal rounds up the best and worst ads of the year under the article title, "The Things We Can't Unsee." Among the winners are Sprint's ad starring Paul Marcarelli, a long-time Verizon promoter ("Can you hear me now?") and, of course, Mountain Dew's Puppymonkeybaby.

The Mountain Dew video garnered almost 28 million views on YouTube. I wonder how many people are watching it multiple times.

On the loser list are a Wells Fargo pitch, which BizCom in the News featured, discouraging teens from pursuing the arts, and one I missed this year: a short Sprint ad that calls T-Mobile "ghetto."

Another offensive ad was on a billboard for "X-Men Apocalypse." The ad showed Jennifer Lawrence's character being strangled. People don't take domestic violence references lightly.   

Discussion:

  • What's your view of The Wall Street Journal's list? Which ads do like?
  • Do you find the Sprint and X-Men ads offensive?