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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

"1984" introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer. It was conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas and Lee Clow at Apple's advertising agency Chiat/Day. And it was directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien). The commercial is considered a watershed event and a masterpiece in advertising. It is doubtless the most memorable and successful commercials of all time.

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. The soft drink was first sold to the public at the soda fountain in Jacob's Pharmacy. About nine servings of the drink were sold each day. Sales for the first year totaled $50.

This Rolls-Royce print ad from the 1960's was created by David Ogilvy. It is one of the most famous advertisements in history.

"At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock."

That's the headline. It taught all copywriters that the best ad ideas could be derived from the product itself. Ogilvy's idea behind this ad was to place Rolls-Royce in its proper market. He didn't have to try to be overly creative, nor did he do much research on the campaign. He used the technical editorial of an auto magazine to develop the idea.

This is virtuoso advertising, Einsteinian even. It is imaginative, intelligent, original. And it works. In 2006, Dos Equis was something of an also-ran brand of imported beer. Certainly no Heineken. (Although, in 2010 Heineken bought the Dos Equis brand from Mexico's Femsa for $7.6 billion.) They turned to Euro RSCG, a global ad agency, specifically their 4D New York office for help boosting the Dos Equis Brand. The result was nothing short of amazing.

To continue our juxtaposition of famous and lauded advertising with drivel, we present yet another incredibly annoying radio and television campaign that is simply unforgettable. This means, of course, that it is also incredibly successful, because you can't get the jingle out of your head. Actually, the harder you try the longer it stays there. And while it may be obnoxious, it is brilliant strategy. Whether your marketing is smart and elegant, or just plain nauseating and invidious, the goal is to make the brand endure in the consumer's mind.

So far, we have featured ad campaigns that are famous for their brilliant concepts and ingenious execution: Avis, Apple, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, FedEx and more. Classic advertising. Now it's time for a campaign that is equally as timeless and successful, but in an entirely different way.

This is classic advertising from Coca-Cola. And it's a strategy worth emulating, especially if you're a leader in your field. Securing a leadership position in marketing entails getting into the mind of the consumer first. The essential strategy in keeping that position is reinforcing the original concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug75diEyiA0

One of the most powerful and recognizable ad campaigns of the 20th century was created in 1984. (No, not Apple; the other one.) The client? Wendys. The Ad agency? Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. The talent? The inimitable Clara Peller.

Your brand is no longer your own. It belongs to your customers. The days of "managing" your brand happily with print, television and radio spots -- essentially telling consumers what to think of you -- are long gone. It's a new world, and it certainly isn't as brand-friendly as the past. The era of booze and smokes and telling clients what they should do is over. There are no more Madmen.

American Airlines has been going through some tough times. But now they're revitalizing in spectacular fashion, as evidenced by the new design scheme for its fleet. The new logo and livery are the first fleet-wide updates in 40 years.

While the nation's third largest airline is in merger talks with US Airways, should the companies reach an agreement the new airline will be called American Airlines. If the airlines do merge, it will be the world's largest.