Oscar hangs his head as commercials disappoint

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: An assessment of some of the best and worst Oscar commercials that appeared in the US.

Best adapted screenplay

A series of spots for American Living, a new line of apparel and home furnishings from the JC Pen-ney Co, seemed cut from the same cloth as the familiar campaigns for Polo, Ralph Lauren and other brands sold by the Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.

That similarity was no accident. The commercials were created internally at Polo Ralph Lauren by a unit named Global Brand Concepts. And Bruce Weber, who has helped create campaigns for brands including Polo and Ralph Lauren, directed the spots.

Best supporting actress

The model Heidi Klum is no movie star, but she was mentioned often enough during the broadcast to warrant an honour. Why? Several commercials for Diet Coke promoted a sweepstakes that will give away a red designer dress that she “wore on the red carpet” before the show.

The commercials, created by Wieden & Kennedy, were part of an initiative by Diet Coke to promote healthy hearts among women. Yes, you can join Coca-Cola in contributing to heart health even if drinking carbonated beverages may not contribute to heart health.

Best vanishing act

The ceremony took place at the Kodak Theatre, as was noted as the broadcast began. And the Eastman Kodak Co also won an Oscar during the presentation of the scientific and technical awards.

But there were no commercials for Kodak, a longtime sponsor. The company’s extensive—and costly—digital makeover may have taken precedence over buying spots in an expensive TV show (an estimated average of $1.8 million for each 30-second spot).

Best makeover

The chef Rocco DiSpirito appeared more fit and trim than usual in a commercial for the Bertolli line of foods sold by Unilever. The spot promoted a contest for consumers to submit video clips to a website (bertollinightsin.com).

In the commercial, DiSpirito was constantly being interrupted as he tried to eat a meal during a “romantic night in”. No wonder he looked so good—no carbs for him. Agency: McCann Erickson Worldwide, part of the McCann Worldgroup division of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

Worst timing

A commercial for Cymbalta, a drug to treat depression sold by Eli Lilly & Co, appeared after the tribute to figures from the film industry who died in the last year. Agency: Draft FCB, an Interpublic unit.

Best visual effects

Or to be more precise, best effects by a visual organ. The star of a commercial for MasterCard Worldwide was a wandering right eye, an oddball eyeball that had a mind of its own. Some found the spot, which promoted an online sweepstakes (priceless.com/search), to be creepy. But it certainly stood out amid a sea of dullness.

The commercial may have secretly been paying tribute to a film nominated for four Oscars, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the story of a stroke patient who communicated with the world by blinking his eye. Among the prizes in the sweepstakes is a portrait painted by Julian Schnabel, the director of the film. Agency: McCann Erickson.

Best comeback

In October, Lowe Worldwide, an agency owned by Interpublic, lost the creative assignment for the GMC brand sold by General Motors to Leo Burnett, part of the Publicis Groupe. But two of the three GMC commercials during the show, for the Acadia crossover, were from Lowe.

The third GMC spot, for the Yukon hybrid, was created by Burnett. If it seemed familiar, it was also shown during Super Bowl XLII on Feb 3.