5. Molson Canadian - I Am Canadian

The number 5 spot on best advertising campaigns goes to Molson, for their Molson Canadian "I Am Canadian," campaign. This ad, not only, defined Molson's brand image, but defined, for an entire generation, what it meant to be Canadian. 

The commercial opened up on an empty stage a, seemingly, timid man walks out under the spotlight. He starts speaking about what he isn't, " I'm not a fur trader, I'm not a lumber jack, I don't own a dog sled." As time goes on his shyness subsides and he becomes emboldened with his speech. He switches, then, from things that he is not to things that he is; that we all are as Canadians. He rouses the crowed with his passion for his homeland of Canada, and by the end cheers, hoots, and applause is audible from the crowed as he finishes he speech with the, now immortal, words of "I Am Canadian."

This spot proved to be so successful with audiences that an entire campaign of stickers, bottle caps, touques, and other special marked items were launched to to satisfy the jingoistic needs of anyone who felt empowered by the commercial.

Molson's true victory here was that their commercial had transcended just a TV spot, and that phrase had become culturally iconic.  

4. Got Milk?

The "Got Milk?," campaign was envisioned and created by notable advertising firm Goodby Silverstein & Partners, who came up with the ad for the Milk Processor Board of California. The commercial was released back in 1994 and was an instant hit.

The commercial was formed around a simple idea, which most everyone can identify with; a mouth full of peanut butter and no milk to wash it down with. It opens with a man, working at some sort of museum, this man is sat down ready to eat his favorite sandwich while listening to the radio. There is a contest happening on the station he is tuned in to, and by luck the question is about former president Alexander Hamilton's killer, Aaron Burr. His phone then rings, he picks it up, it's the radio station calling to ask him the question he, most definitely, knows the answer to. As he goes to speak he realises he can't speak properly with his mouth all clogged up with peanut butter. Quickly, he rushes to the fridge to get the only known solvent for peanut butter, milk. But to his dismay, the milk is all gone. The radio station hangs up on him, and he looses the contest.

Though exaggerated, this problem, uniquely portrayed, is one many people suffer daily. Pouring out a big bowl of cereal only to find out you have no milk. That is why this ad was so successful; people empathized with the man.

The "Got Milk?" slogan became an instant hit, copy cats, imitators, and parodies were instant, a sure sign of success, as the words became ingrained in our culture.    

2. Budweiser - Whassup!

The commercial that became a phenomenon, Budweiser's "Whassup," was released in 1999 and quickly ubiquitous in everyday salutations. This, perhaps, is what every campaign sets out to achieve; to permeate culture so deeply that they lexicographically change the people's daily interactions with a catchphrase.

The idea for this commercial started, actually, from the real-life friends who directed, and stared in it. Budweiser marketing reps were inspired after seeing a short film called "True," which this group of men had created. 

Because Budweiser wanted to be seen as an enjoyable beverage that a group of male friends could watch the game and joke with, they thought this particular film was a good vessel for them to convey that image. It was almost as though Budweiser had started an inside joke that the whole world was in on, we were all bros if we drank a Bud.

Like all good art, the commercial would go on to be copied, imitated, and parodied countless times. Most notably, "Scary Movie," a satirical horror film would parody it, thusly, ingraining it deeper into our culture.

Its simplicity is, as well, what makes it stand out. It would go on to be the archetype for what all beer commercials strive towards.