The ads of 2007: From ad-mirable to ad-dlebrained

•Watch 'em at: messinwithsasquatch.com

•Honorable mention. The Ad Team may be showing its age, but laughed out loud at Kia Motors America's parody of the 1983 film Flashdance. A nerdy car salesman (no Jennifer Beals, the welder/exotic dancer) dances madly to a revision of the movie's anthem Maniac: "He's a maniac, maniac, on the floor. And he's selling like he's never sold before." Ad agency davidandgoliath closes the ad with a takeoff on a signature Flashdance scene when the disco fool is drenched with water from above.

Most offensive/annoying:Pfizer Viagra

No contest, just surprising consensus here.

We admit it's tough to sell a product used for something your potential buyers don't want even to hear about: erectile dysfunction. But Pfizer's pfe latest ad, by agency McCann HumanCare, left readers and ad pros alike scratching their heads.

In it, a rock band of middle-aged guys praises the product by belting out a version of Elvis' Viva Las Vegas— rewritten as Viva Viagra.

Eric Webber, managing partner of Webber/McJ marketing and public relations agency, was among the crowd panning it: "If I had an erectile dysfunction problem and Viagra solved it, I'd probably celebrate too, but not by hosting a jam session with my friends."

•To watch it: go to viagra.com and click on "Watch the music video."

Made me misty-eyed:Diamond Trading Co.

We all know that some — if not most — ads for diamonds are going to shamelessly turn on the schmaltz to manipulate (or guilt) folks into paying a bundle for sparkly baubles. Yet the holiday ad from Diamond Trading Co. (a subsidiary of De Beers) still brought little lumps to a lot of throats.

The ad by JWT shows a loving couple driving down a snowy city street. They hold hands as music plays: "I think that possibly, maybe, I'm falling for you. Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you."

At a stoplight, the man slips a diamond pendant into the women's hand. The light turns green, but they don't move as she leans over to kiss him.

Best characters/ mascots/spokespeople:Apple computers

Actor Justin Long — the Mac — and comedian John Hodgman — the PC — were stellar in 17 new TV ads this year for Apple computers. The PC (usually in a dorky suit) and the Mac (cool and casually attired) discuss their attributes, with the PC humorously revealing his failure to match up. The ads by TBWA/Chiat/Day masterfully humanize a complex technical comparison.

"Absolute perfection," says Mike Lear, associate creative director at ad shop The Martin Agency.

•Honorable mention. Memorable car ads are rare, but sultry Grey's Anatomy actress Kate Walsh made it look easy in a pitch for Cadillac's new CTS. After ticking off a few of the car's many features, she purrs the real bottom line: "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?"