Best [Advertising] Ideas of 2007

There's no reason why I'm any more qualified than most of you readers to giving out these awards. In fact I may be less qualified considering I don't even know what those brackets around advertising in the subject even mean. However, I still say most because I do know a few friends reading who really are quite single-minded in assessment of advertising ideas—"Funny" or "Not Funny". But maybe the unsophisticated scale is dead-on-balls-accurate (yes, that's a My Cousin Vinny quote). I mean, shoot, look at the most liked Super Bowl commercials poll each year...you know Career Builder does. Oh word? Word.

The inspiration for a list like this came from my disappointment not to see any advertising agency ideas on The New York Times Magazine's 70 Ideas "that made 2007 what it was." While I have to admit, I wasn't surprised in the least, it is a bit disconcerting considering many of us see ideas as our currency. Plus, claiming we create (pop) culture in many cases, can we ever have the longevity to make a year what it was? I mean, I need a Bahamavention! Yes? No? Word.

Take a look at the 70 - or at least 3 or 4 before they tell you to log in. Most of the blogs I read didn't even cover these ideas other than Radiohead's pricing model innovation, of course.

I was also surprised not to see more companies on the list. I'm sure innovative companies have their own list. It is actually heavy on interesting research findings. And apparently as an industry, we did not come up with any earth-shattering research, uncover a relationship that exists between two unrelated things and put to use the scientific method we all learned in high school. Though I think I did hear that one big agency did find that moms shop for cars and electronics too.

Anyway, here are my nominations for the best [advertising] ideas this year. Please do not use old definition of advertising that's based on one-way messaging to a waiting audience; rather, use a more modern meaning (communications and conversations) as well as keep it broad enough to encompass any ideas from ad guys and gals and agencies. Okay, enough of that explanation - here are ideas that I loved in 2007 (in no particular order):

1. The Tap Project (Simple and simply amazing idea brought to life)
2. Cadbury Gorilla (Pure joy and completely memorable)
3. Planning for Good (Born at a Conference, who would have thought)
4. CMPB's Get The Glass (Visually stunning and engaging site)
5. Nike's Leave Nothing (I'm a huge Last of the Mohicans fan...and now I work at W+K so I'm biased)

Crazy both milk and chocolate in the top five, and I'm not even a dessert guy. Also would like to give a "quik" shout-out to Dynamite Surfing, Fight for Kisses, and Good Things Should Never End. Not that I couldn't make them numbers 6 and 7 I guess. Oh well, too late.

After starting this post, I realized that Johnny Vulkan already did a nice job summing up the year. And Contagious Magazine did an even more comprehensive recap of 2007 including everything from social media to design. However, what would be great is if people added to this list by emailing or commenting and then we put it to a vote.

Who knows, maybe by the end we'll be inspired to aim to make NYTimes Mag's list next year?