Art has been defined as deliberately arranging elements to appeal to the senses or emotions. These ads do that, for me at least. Each one does it in a different way and appeals to different emotions and senses, but definitely not all of them at the same time...obviously.
Weiden + Kennedy Portland, OR
This ad, called "Freestyle," for Nike is art, but not in any way fancy. I enjoy it not because it makes me want to go out and buy specifically Nike brand items (or because it won all sorts of awards including a silver in the Art Director's Club), but it makes me want to move. Whether that be through basketball, another sport, yoga, or any other activity, watching these tricksters (yeah, i just said tricksters) gets me excited to DO something. Any brand that inspires me beyond my superficial need of material things, is a brand worth investigating.
BBDO New York
I love this ad by BBDO because it is something not many people would think of. It's such a simple concept, but they made it visually appealing and caught my attention by their use of human beings to portray a simple part of nature; water. They focused more of their energy into the product benefit than they did on the product, which may be risky but can also pay off if done well. Telling me what the product does doesn't make near the impact that showing me does.
Weiden + Kennedy London
This ad, also by Wieden + Kennedy, is one of my favorite ads that can very easily be interpreted as art. One thing that I caught the third or fourth time watching was the opening line..."This is what a Honda FEELS like." Notice he doesn't say, "This is what a Honda SOUNDS like." Although the talent of the choir is worth noting, the way they made me feel is much more important, especially to Honda. I also listened to the ad once without looking at the screen, and I encourage you to do the same. The car came to life in my head and allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks.
Dentsu New York
Finally, I found this this print ad by Dentsu to be particularly artful. It appealed not to my emotions, but definitely to my sense of touch. I actually made a face when I first saw it and knew exactly what the product being advertised must be, and I was right. They made similar ads with other materials including concrete and steel. Either way, I felt the sudden urge to use cream... guess it worked.