The latest John Lewis TV commercial is the best ad I’ve seen for a long time. Click here to view it.

It’s an ad that’s uplifting, aspirational and rather sad. There’s also a strong, self confident brand message. Plus of course, it’s beautifully shot with a lovely soundtrack.

Quite an achievement. No wonder John Lewis is such a powerful and successful brand.

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Last Saturday’s Guardian fashion section declared The Redknapps’ Thomas Cook ad as ‘Going Up’.

‘as guilty as guilty pleasures get, this is cheering up January no end’

So, even though this is a truly naff ad it’s definitely being noticed and talked about, which I guess must be a good thing. If this ad had been averagely OK – like the vast majority, it would simply have been ignored.

I’m sure everyone remembers the Ferrero Rocher ‘Ambassadors Party’ ad. Click here to view it. I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be so toe-curlingly awful, but the fact that it was SO ridiculous made it strangely attractive and memorable.

So...is there merit in trying to create ads that are so bad, they’re actually good?

Unfortunately, this is very difficult to achieve. Ads that deliberately try to be bad in orer to create impact become irritating eg Go Compare, 118118, that dreadful insurance ad featuring Michael Winner.

The beauty of ads like Ferrero Rocher and Thomas Cook, is they’re actually trying really, really hard to be good and failing to achieve this is in a way that is charming and inoffensive.

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Innocent Smoothies’ latest advertising makes a very bold and persuasive claim – 2 of your 5 a day. Anyone who is vaguely health conscious will get it and may well be inspired by it, so why go and spoil it all by showing a rabbit?It’s not very amusing, there’s no obvious idea behind it, the rabbit is only vaguely cute, the voiceover is a bit irritating.

There’s a lot that I admire about Innocent, but I’m afraid this is a let down – unless of course producing lame ads is all part of the brand’s matey / laid-back DNA? Maybe I’m missing something.

The ad was made by Fallon, who are most famous for their Sony and Cadbury’s ads. Does anyone remember this ad from Sony..featuring yes, lots of rabbits?

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I was delighted to see that Lego have reprised their classic 1981 ad 'Kipper' featuring the sublime Tommy Cooper voiceover. Click here to view it. The ad capture everything that's brilliant about Lego: imagination, playfulness, joy and simplicity.

If I was the brand manager of Lego I wouldn't brief in a new piece of creative ever again. I can't imagine it ever being bettered.

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Another dreadful ad to kick off the year. It's a prime example of how celebrity endorsement adds absolutely no value. This ad fails on so many levels:

- does anyone honestly believe that Louise & Jamie Redknapp would ever in a million years book a Thomas Cook holiday?

- they look so dozy and vacant

- Louise's voice is so irritating

- why would Jamie play golf topless and play football wearing a suit?

An early contender for worst ad of 2010. Want to see it? Click here

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The Gillette ad featuring Federer, Henry and Woods was voted number 1 in Campaign Magazine's top ten turverys of 2008. I'm surprised that they're persisting with this campaign in 2009. I suspect its because they need to get maximum value out of the quillions they've paid these superstars. Having 1 superstar sponsor is fine. Having 3 is just showing off. I can imagine consumers thinking...'I wonder how much they paid them?'

I've also seen ads which explain why Fusion Power is better than Mach 3. I've never seen Gillette be as explicit as this in encouraging consumers to drop their old Gillette razor. I suspect that they've had to do this because  Fusion Power's  growth is not as rapid as they'd hoped and that consumers can't see the benefit of trading up.

I often wonder when razor blade innovation will come to a natural limit. I suspect we've now reached the ceiling, but no doubt the Gillette team will try and convince us otherwise.

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Continuing with the theme of pop stars appearing in adverts... 

The Diet Coke ad featuring Duffy has recently been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over health and safety issues. Apparently, 18 viewers complained that she was not wearing a helmet or reflective clothing and her bicycle had no lights on. Oh dear, looks like it will continue to be shown.

It's a shame that it wasn't withdrawn on the basis of it being a terrible ad. Click here to view it. I've watched it several times and I still don't get it. It's bizarre seeing Duffy ride a racing bike. Why does she ride through a supermarket? Why are all those people staring at her so wistfully? Why does her voice sound so awful? (Worse than normal) Is it meant to be a joke? I don't think it is..

In their defence of the ad, Coke claim the cycling sequence is 'Duffy's fantasy'. What kind of fantasy is that?

Diet Coke has been living off the legacy of the Diet Coke Break ads with the hunky guy for decades. Looks like it will continue to do so.

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I really like the recent 'whatever your world' advertising for PC World. Such a refreshing change from the previous campaign which was full of IT geeks, talking about great deals with its annoying jingle.

This campaign focuses on people, (we call them consumers in marketing-speak) their needs and passions and how the PC World (the brand) can help you. Because it shows different people with different passions it highlights the fact that PC World is for everyone - a bit like IKEA.

I particularly the Press Campaign. Not too keen on the tv ads which are a bit tricksy with a gratuitous sprinkling of celebrity, but no-one's perfect.

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