My favourite ads

The count down to the world cup is ticking fast now. Commercials exploiting the fans' passion and eagerness for the competition to start are in full swing. Adidas have given us the Teamgeist ball, announcing there will be an individual one for each fixture bearing the names of the teams, venue and date. Then there's the extra special golden one for the final match. The design of the various team shirts have long been unveiled. Not much fancy stuff here compared to the eighties and nineties.

But what most captures the viewer's imagination today is the tv advert, which now can hover through various other effective media - the internet and mobile phones in particular. Nike came out with the amazing Joga tv, Adidas have their own Impossible is Nothing ads (both excellent sites). I also enjoyed Carlsberg's Probably the best pub team in the world ad with several English past stars now making the most of their beer belly.

Cool stuff. Highly effective marketing. Enjoy the party!