Top 10 Restaurant Commercials of 2007

Not in my opinion necessarily, but based on the research of IAG Research who track all prime-time commercials daily on all broadcast and major cable networks. They measure the “recall score” of different commercials, with recall being determined by the percentage of viewers who can recall the commercial and the advertiser within 24 hours of viewing a television program. You can read more about the system used and IAG’s thoughts on this year’s commercials over at Restaurants & Institutions.

Here are the Top 10 of the year using the IAG system:

1. Subway: Ryan Howard and Jared. The Subway Club is compared to the Big Mac by Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and that lovable corporate whore for Subway, Jared Fogel.

2. (tie) Subway: Reggie Bush and Jared. These two introduce a “new” sub, the turkey breast and ham. I say “new” because it was on the menu in 1996 when I first worked there…so, not all that new.

2. (tie) Sonic: “Crantastic”. If you’re like me, you definitely remember this commercial, but still have no idea where the nearest Sonic is located. Also, if you’re like me, you alternate between absolutely loving this commercial and wanting to kick that guy in the teeth.

4. Burger King: Homer Eats a Whopper. You’ve seen it, probably during the summer.

5. Red Lobster: Endless Shrimp. Why does every ad like this show fried shrimp being dumped off of one plate and bouncing onto another? Is there some research study that shows shrimp looks more appetizing when they are in mid-air between one plate and another?

6. Subway: Jared and Tony Stewart. A third Subway ad? Apparently middle America can’t get enough of Jared and his celebrity pals.

7. Wendy’s: “That’s Right”. I’ve written about this Wendy’s campaign and the “guy in the red wig” before, but this specific ad features hundreds of people running towards a hole in the ground.

8. Burger King: Spicy Chick’n Crisp. I like this one. A dad returns home to find his kids partying with the Spicy Chick’n Crisp.

9. Taco Bell: 7-Layer Crunchwrap. That one where the dude eats his wrap while skydiving. Yeah, I forgot about it too.

10. Subway: Fresh Fit Meals. Oh lord. A fourth Subway ad? How are they doing this? This one doesn’t even have Jared in it. Well played Subway, well played.

Well there you have it. Anyone want to throw out some ads they thought were particularly memorable that didn’t make this list?

Update: I should note that this list was compiled immediately after Thanksgiving, so any commercials from December (i.e. my beloved Whopper Freakout) would not be included.