Best five local ads

If there’s one thing that makes Bloomington great, it’s the abundance of local businesses. What is even greater about Bloomington is that many of these local businesses participate in the shameful hilarity that is the local television commercial.\nOut of so many awful, laughable but sometimes endearing commercials, it is important that we find and assess the best of the best and the worst of the worst in the Bloomington broadcast region. With this ranking, local businesses everywhere can strive to top the list or at least realize if they’re making a mockery of their company by overstepping their bounds. \nI ranked every local commercial I’ve seen to come up with the top and bottom five. Each was evaluated based on its effectiveness, creativity, modesty, quality and the intangible x-factor. Each criterion was measured on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being the worst, 5 being the best. \n5 BEST LOCAL COMMERCIALS\n5) TIS Bookstore: E-3, C-1, M-4, Q-4, X-5\nTotal Score: 17\nThis commercial wasn’t great, but there’s something about that “typical college student” spokesperson TIS chose that makes me want to like this commercial. It’s like rooting for the underdog. There is really nothing special about him, but I want other people to like him because he’s trying hard and isn’t absolutely terrible.\n4) Bloomington Transit: E-2, C-3, M-4, Q-5, X-3\nTotal Score: 17\nSpokesperson Anneliese Toft delivers a believable, relatable performance in this commercial. I could feel the stress of having a car on campus, and experienced relief when she discovered that you could also take a bus. Having a car is the hassle! Encore!\n3) Sullivan’s Clothing: E-4, C-2, M-4, Q-4, X-5\nTotal Score: 19\nSullivan’s isn’t just selling suits; it’s selling an experience. Apparently, if I shop at Sullivan’s Clothing, five attractive girls will work with me for hours to turn the slob that I am into a classy ladies’ man. I only hope the girls in the commercial actually work there because I’m going in next week to “buy a suit.” Oh, how did this rose and my phone number get here? What a coincidence.\n2) Smith’s Sport’n Shoe: E-4, C-3, M-5, Q-5, X-5\nTotal Score: 22\nThis commercial has everything: a catchy jingle, quality video, scrolling effects and a hard-working, family-oriented business owner giving you his personal promise to deliver only the best. \n1) Attorney Ken Nunn: E-5, C-5, M-5, Q-5, X-5\nTotal Score: 25\nKen Nunn’s commercials just keep getting better and better. The addition of the funky-fast music in the background is only the latest of what I hope are many additions to the Ken Nunn line of advertisements. Making his commercial my favorite was “snap...just that easy.”\nThe commercials that topped this list were a true pleasure to watch. Three weeks ago, I revealed the five worst local commercials in Bloomington. Check out www.idsnews.com to see which commercials managed to appear in the bottom five.