And now a word from our sponsors
Sarah Ridley

Ah, commercials. Those annoying breaks in your favourite television show that always happen just at a crucial moment. The hero creeps along the eerie hallway and turns a corner. The camera zooms in for a close up of his shocked expression then... Boom - they go to a commercial break.

Commercials are obviously more than just a way to maintain suspense in television programming. The whole point is they are trying to (duh) sell you something. Of course, everyone can see right through this scheme, and that’s why people use commercial breaks to scan through other channels, refill their chip bowl and reorganize their refrigerators. This is perfectly understandable behaviour. However, the herd running to the kitchen is often missing the most entertaining part of television.

I know there are a lot of crummy ads out there. I too, am sick of hearing about who is the "best best best" in carpet retailers and those cheese commercials make me want to punch something, but in-between all the inane and patronizing advertisements are some true pieces of genius. At any point in time, there’s at least one commercial that can make you laugh, make you think or make you yell to your roommates to, "Get in here - that commercial I was telling you about is on."

I recently had the privilege of sitting through 76 minutes of commercial genius from all over the world. The 1998 World’s Best Commercials played last week at the Princess Cinema here in Waterloo. It was a representation of last years cleverest advertising from countries like Great Britain, USA, Brazil, South Africa, France and Canada, among others. As with any collection, some of the entries were perhaps questionable additions to the ‘best of the best,’ but overall it was a strong offering.

Many ads were familiar. Nike’s ‘What if we treated all athletes the way we treat skateboarders’ series was shown, and the Miller Lite ‘Twist to open’ ad did well. Other ads of note included Ikea where the Ikea designers transform a subway car into a ‘livable space,’ and Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘London’ commercial selling American Express.

Perhaps most intriguing however, was the difference between North American advertising and the commercials from other parts of the world. Some of the European ads especially, were quite liberal in their content and language. I can’t remember the last time a commercial on our North American networks actually shocked me, or forced me to look away. In this film, however, there were a few public service type ads that had that effect. They certainly got their message across, and they also made me realize I am not as desensitized as I thought I was.

I also don’t recall any other time when I burst into spontaneous applause after a commercial. You know that feeling after watching a really good movie? A really clever commercial can have the same effect.

The fact of the matter is, commercials have the ability to move us, to make us laugh, to make us think. Ignoring the fact they are there to make us buy, commercials can be enjoyed for their entertainment value.

There are many hidden gems between the ads for used cars and mattresses - it’s worth staying on the couch to discover them.