Every once in a while, a TV commercial comes along that breaks all the rules -- and makes you sit up and take notice. They don't come along too often, but when they do, they really whack you between the eyes.

The EverReady Bunny

Perhaps the best example of this kind of superlative creative was Chiat/Day's Everready Bunny commercials. While the original idea itself was terrific, it was Chiat/Day's execution of the commercials that really shook things up and sent tingles down our collective spine. They created Everready commercials that extended into other commercials. First, there would be a thirty second spot of the Everready bunny (to set up the viewer). Then, another commercial would play (for a completely different sponsor. Then, the third commercial during the "commercial break" would be a spoof of a typical commercial -- only to be interrupted by the Everready bunny "playing through" so to speak, stunning everyone in the commercial and usually the viewer sitting at home. Very few agencies would be courageous enough to try this format -- but courage was a trademark of Chiat/Day -- and it worked!

The Globe and Mail

Another "breakthrough" commercial in the Toronto area is for the Globe and Mail newspaper. It cleverly uses printed words to create pictures throughout the commercial (which, we suppose, is the mandate of a newspaper) -- and marries these visuals with an innovative and "catchy" sound track. There are no announcers droning on and on, trying to convince you of something -- telling you something you don't want to hear. This commercial presents the visuals and allows you to make up your own mind. Gosh darn it. It's brilliant. Wow. This is commercial art at its best.