Be Inspired

Sure, everybody's already had the advertising experts talk; and they've had all the fans click on pictures of horses, cars, women, beer -- but we know the best ad from Super Bowl XXXVII.

It's from Sony. "The Trip" aired just once, among 54 other ads, but it blew the ANN staff away!

"John," a distinguished-looking retired businessman, thinks a little, exercises a bit... he is told by his loved ones, "You don't have to do this, John." He hugs his family, and boards a plane to Moscow, where he's greated, boards a bus, and travels to a dark, high-tech-looking place.

Only after we've wondered, "what's going on?" for most of Sony's expensive minute, do we realize that John is a cosmonaut-in-training, a "space tourist," if you must. He blasts off, floats weightless, and smiles broadly through his face shield -- most of the time, while carrying or using a tiny Sony video camera.

The voice-over comes in at the end to wrap things up: "When your kids ask where the money went, show them the tape."

Brilliant!

FMI: http://sony.com/beinspired/trip/index.shtml