A recent ad that I have become a fan of is the latest Nike ad featuring Lebron James. In it, James responds defiantly to the recent public discontent with his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c
The idea behind the ad is simple- Lebron asks the viewer (rhetorically and in a very stylized way) if he should be whoever the public wants him to be and listen to the criticism. We see through a montage of images and short clips that Lebron is very much aware of how the public feels about him right now, but at the same time can't allow himself to think twice about it. I like this ad because of the self awareness of the protagonist and the tongue in cheek attitude he has.
Tongue in cheek advertising is very effective because oftentimes it goes completely against the nature of a normal ad. Instead of drawing the user in with subtle, pleasant images related to the product, the ad says to hell with subtlety and puts everything front and center. The best tongue in cheek ads are the ones that gingerly toe the line between being humorously in your face (like the new old spice ads) and just being plain old douchey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BdM5RE6nz0&feature=related).
What makes the Lebron James ad so effective is the fact that it adds in a hefty sense of self awareness to go along with its defiant attitude. Maybe I just get a kick out of media that references current events, but who ever thought that Lebron would embrace the role of being the one the public turned on and basically say he doesn't give a f**k what everyone thinks? Whether it took cojones for him to do it or not, the viewer gets the idea that it did and as a result the ad is extra effective and demands the attention of the viewer.
