Top 10 Most Popular Campaigns of 2009

Elaine Wong

Mars Inc.'s "Snacklish" push for Snickers was the most buzzed about ad campaign this year, according to an exclusive report from Zeta Interactive. Tech brands also topped the list, including Apple's "There's An App for That" and Microsoft's "I'm a PC and Windows 7 Was My Idea" campaigns.

The New York-based full-service interactive marketing agency evaluated ad campaigns that broke in 2009.

They were ranked based on the overall volume of Internet buzz each effort received, as well as the positive/negative tone surrounding the ads. (See chart below for the full list.)

The highest-ranking "Snacklish" effort, via TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, involved taxi, bus stop and subway posters that featured catchy phrases like "Pledge your nutlegience," "Snaxi" and "Nougetaboutit." "Brilliant" and "creative" were the two words bloggers used most often to describe the Snickers campaign, said Al DiGuido, CEO of Zeta Interactive.

"This turned out to be a dynamite combination for Snickers," DiGuido said, adding that the use of humor, combined with the brand's understanding of its consumer, resulted in a campaign that spoke to "the right product, the right audience and [relayed] the right message." Intel was No. 2 on the list with its "Our Rock Stars Aren't Like Your Rock Stars" campaign.

It portrayed Intel developers and programmers (like Ajay Bhatt, co-inventor of the USB) as "rock stars" using slow motion technology.

Apple and Microsoft ranked No. 3 and No. 8, respectively, reflecting an earlier study, also from Zeta Interactive, which found that tech brands were the most talked about brands in 2009.

Super Bowl commercials are still among the most popular, which is a sign of their "staying power," said DiGuido.

While a consumer-generated ad for Frito-Lay's Doritos won this year's USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, "10 months later, only one of those commercials [Cars.com's 'David Abernathy'] is making the full-year top 10 list of [most buzzed about] campaigns," DiGuido said. (Cars.com ranked No. 2 on the list.)

In summary, 2009 campaigns from the auto, tech, beer and candy industries all performed well. But the common theme, DiGuido said, was that "brands truly understand the core profile of the new consumer. who is more than willing to spread the buzz to others."

He added: "We see many more overt efforts to speak to the new consumer with concepts, messaging and creative thinking that leverages humor and the expanding consumer preference for messaging themes. Gone are the staid and boring." Brandweek