Lost Detergent Commercial

August 9, 2011 10:49 AM

Please help me find a TV commercial that aired a few years ago.

I've searched Google, YouTube, and various advertising websites and can't find a link to or even any mention of this animated 30 second spot for "All" laundry detergent (I might be wrong about this being for "All", I am 90% certain) which aired in the US (at least in the Midwest/Chicago) in late 2004/early 2005. The premise was that a woman dropped a just washed sock back onto the laundry room floor. A female voice over laments something to the effect of, "You know how frustrating it is to drop just laundered sock back onto a dirty floor ...". At which point a 'close up' reveals characters (representing "dirt", "lint", "germs" etc) dancing on this sock until it is finally thrown back into the washing machine. The entire commercial is animated. I had read an article about this ad online either in AdAge or AdWeek back when it first aired (a review or something about the agency behind it--which agency it was I can't recall) and can't find this article, either. I'm looking for a link to the commercial itself, but a still would be great, too. Even just the name of the ad agency who created it would be very helpful. Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance!

posted by marimeko to media & arts (9 answers total)

While not animated, might you be thinking of these Swiffer ads?
posted by inturnaround at 11:00 AM on August 9, 2011

No, sorry. This ad was definitely for laundry detergent, was animated and aired between 2004-2005.
posted by marimeko at 11:10 AM on August 9, 2011

This post on the Straight Dope forum backs up your description and time period. I skimmed the responses but don't see anyone mention what the commercial was for...
posted by jabes at 12:08 PM on August 9, 2011

This article? It's from 2004, is about Surf detergent and animated socks. Ad agency was Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
posted by seabound_coast at 12:11 PM on August 9, 2011

If you get nothing here, you could check with folks on Adland.tv, run by MeFite dabitch.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:22 PM on August 9, 2011

Okay, I'm obsessed. Here's a NYT article from 2004 about Unilever/All Detergent describing what must be your commercial:

"One commercial asks the question, ''Why does the clean sock that falls on the laundry room floor attract all the dirt on the laundry room floor?'' That is illustrated by four ugly animated characters, representing various types of filth, rising from the floor and dancing under a tiny mirrored disco ball. The party ends abruptly when All comes to the rescue, with the announcer saying: ''Well, look on the bright side. All with stain lifters will get that dirt out -- again.''"
posted by jabes at 12:37 PM on August 9, 2011

And this might be the AdWeek article about it? The agency is Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
posted by jabes at 12:42 PM on August 9, 2011

Oh, this is great! Thanks to everyone's fantastic clues I found this.

"Floor"

Thanks, Mefites!!!
posted by marimeko at 1:08 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hah, an old US commercial, posted on a Russian "Business Video Communications" (Бизнес видео коммуникации) site. The internet is amazing.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:48 AM on August 10, 2011