Nintendo makes irritating ad list

Nintendo’s primetime TV ad featuring popular Geordie duo Ant and Dec has been named as one of the most irritating shorts of 2009, according to a new survey from Adwatch.

The pair were picked for the creative due to their mainstream appeal and family-friendly personas. The ads highlighted Wii and DS and touched upon many facets of Nintendo’s family-friendly strategy.

Marketing Magazine lists the ads as the joint ninth most irritating of 2009. Top of the rankings was GoCompare’s ‘hilarious’ opera singer. This was followed by the likes of Cash4Gold, Confused.com and MCV’s personal favourite WeBuyAnyCar.com.

Here’s the top ten in full (creative agencies in brackets):

1. GoCompare.com (In-house)
2=. Cash4Gold (Hungry Man Productions)
2=. Glade Touch ‘n’ Frsh (Draftfcb)
4. Swiftcover (MWO)
5. Confused.com (In-house)
6. 118 247 (Rapier)
7. Churchill (WCRS)
7=. WeBuyAnyCar.com (In-house)
9=. Nintendo (Karmarama)
9=. Country Life (Grey London)

The survey was conducted from 24-26th November last year and questioned 1011 British adults aged 16-64.