The Olympics of advertising

I'm a sucker for the Olympics, and this year's games have been far more epic than I could have imagined. Even though it's taking place in a city that arguably doesn't deserve the Olympics, the games and performances themselves have not disappointed.

There have been so many moments, ups and downs, that will live on. Phelps' record-breaking eight golds, including phenomenal individual races that just showcase his physical refusal to lose a race, even if it means a win by .01 seconds that is incomprehensible even when watched in slow motion. Lezak's remarkable turn that won U.S. the 4x100 freestyle against France. The Greek gods of swimmers we had at this year's games: Phelps, Lochte, Peirsol, etc. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson's 1-2 win in all-around gymnastics, especially Nastia's tearful smile as she stood atop the podium - pure Olympic glory right there. Sasha Artemev's rousing pommel horse routine that ensured U.S. men's team bronze, followed by his upsetting fall in individual competition that took away a medal he had clear potential to win. Liu Xiang, a hero in China and an inspiration as first Asian to win gold in a track event, pulling out of this year's competition, in devastating pain as a hurt Achilles heel tore him away from his dream of defending his title in his home country among a packed stadium of expectant fans.

Along with the Olympics always comes a bevy of memorable ad campaigns. The winner this year is Visa's 'GO WORLD', boosted by beautiful, inspiring images of the Olympics and Morgan Freeman's God-voiced narration.

My favorite by far:




Brilliant advertising right there. Such simple, eloquent truths that remind us why we need and love the Olympics.

Visa's always been consistently impressive in their ads. One of my favorite commercials was the 'Life takes Visa' campaign that came out during the 2006 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere in large or embeddable form, but there is a small video available on the website portfolio of Mophonics, who composed its music.

Riding on the current love for Nastia Liukin, gymnastics all-around champion whose aesthetic grace has been unsurpassed this year, here is a lovely 'Impossible is Nothing' Adidas ad from 2004 featuring a 13-year-old Nastia and Nadia Comaneci, which has greater impact now following Nastia's gold medal win:



Another highlight from this Olympic season's batch of advertisements is Nike's 'Courage', featuring The Killers' 'All These Things I've Done.' I'm not a big fan of the band, but I am a fan of the song and it is used perfectly in this one:



This one's not Olympics related aside from coming out during the games, but United Airlines has been producing beautiful ads for their new business class that stand out due to their lovely, dreamlike aesthetic and wonderful use of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue':



GE's been doing a series of Olympics/China related commercials and this charming 'Healthcare Re-imagined' advert is currently everywhere:



The Olympics, along with its advertising, is always the highlight of the season, almost becoming a drug as its conclusion always results in a sense of great loss, for nothing ever seems worth watching without the inspiring unity of the Olympic games. Together we witness the creation of sublime moments that will last a lifetime, see lives defined in an instant, whether it is experiencing the elation of years of hard work paying off and ambitions being fulfilled or feeling the painful defeat of dreams shattered in a split second. The entire spectrum of the human experience is displayed magnificently in the Olympics, and for those two weeks, all the world is united in common admiration for the pure achievement of humanity.

This year's withdrawal will definitely be a difficult one.