I love a great commercial. And recently, Adweek posted their list of the Best Commercials from 2010-2011. Being that it’s merely opinion that those that which they placed are the best, I thought I would review the ads and tell you some of my favorite spots. Keep in mind that I don’t often get to watch a lot of international advertisements, but I do occasionally get to view them – when they go viral. For the purpose of this commentary, I will try to stick to those commercials that I saw on Adweek’s website.

Adweek places Nike’s Write The Future ad as the #1 spot overall. I couldn’t disagree more. Not just because I think there are better commercials out there, but I think this commercial goes over the head of your average viewer, and they take too long to get to the point. That being said, I find it very hard to name a #1 overall commercial, so I will just mention some of my favorite in no particular order.

Heineken, “The Entrance”
What can you say that is wrong with this piece? I’m sure some will find fault with it, but I find it to be very entertaining, great music piece, great choreography and great timing with each piece. And they do what a lot of companies don’t do during these types of commercials – they show branding before the end! This commercial is definitely in my top 10!

Skittles, “Touch The Rainbow”
Ok, so there are several of these videos, but I am lumping them all in together as one. They have some very twisted humor and that’s right up my alley. Great branding and funny scenarios (for the most part). If you love just outright bizarre commercials, you will love the whole series. I’m embedding just one, but please feel free to browse them all when you get a moment. You won’t be sorry!

Volkswagen, “The Force”
Do I really need to talk about this one? This one went viral as soon as it was shown before the Super Bowl. Love the natural comedic timing this kid has (and if you didn’t see any of the interviews, it is a kid inside there). This commercial definitely qualifies as a top 10 smash!

Carlton Draught, “Slo Mo”
If you are a guy, you are going to love this commercial. Very funny. If you are a girl with a lot of patience, you might find it entertaining as well. Listen to the words of the song. Very funny stuff.

Traveler’s Insurance, “Trouble”
From the Super Bowl the previous year, this commercial debut and remains one of my favorite to this day. Just a very clever commercial with a dog that really knows how to act!

Google, “Speed Tests”
Actually, I like a lot of the new Google spots that I’ve been seeing on TV and the Internet. Google Goggles, Google Translate and the one for Google Maps (road view). But this one caught my eye because, to me, the browser speed is key to optimizing time spent on the Internet. Lately I’ve been on Firefox and Chrome and although I have experienced many bugs with Chrome, it definitely seems to be a faster browser. So the commercial rings true.

Honorable Mention

Carolton Dry, “Sheep Impact”
I saw this commercial on Adweek and, although it wasn’t a top contender in their eyes, I still found it to be entertaining. And, c’mon – it has Steven Segal in it!

So there you have it. My top picks from Adweeks Best of. Remember the key is to capture people’s attention and make sure you get your branding across!