THE BEST ADVERTISING OF 1996

1 NISSAN "TOYS" Car ads were not generally driven by trenchant wit this year, but Nissan's spot amounted to topnotch satire of one of auto advertising's perennial themes: the right wheels always win you the babe. To the beat of Van Halen's You Really Got Me, a G.I. Joe look-alike leaves one playroom, hits the road for another in a sporty coupe and picks up a silver-lamed faux Barbie from her plastic manse. The crestfallen loser? A dull, preppie sort. The message? Drive Nissan or be Ken.

2 Levi's Wide-Leg jeans "Elevator Fantasy" If only those slacker flicks could capture Gen-X...

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