Rhett & Link's Greatest Hits: Their 10 Most-Viral Local Commercials Is Robert Lee on top? Nope! Chuck Testa
Rhett & Link truly are one of a kind. Since meeting as first graders in Buies Creek, N.C., they've been inseparable. As filmmakers and musicians, they've made some of the kookiest, catchiest viral videos around. One particular passion—doing intentionally awkward, low-budget commercials for local businesses around the country—earned them the attention of the ad community, and of IFC, which eventually gave them their own show, Commercial Kings, to document their process of creating "viral masterworks." But amid the hundreds of videos they've produced over the years, which ones rose to the top—becoming the most viral of virals? Unruly Media crunched the numbers on social sharing of the duo's content and came up with a ranking of Rhett & Link's most viral videos ever. We've posted the top 10 below. The winner, by a large margin, is the Ojai Valley Taxidermy spot from 2011, which was produced as part of Commercial Kings, became a bona fide Internet meme and made a star of Mr. Chuck Testa. Also great are No. 2 and and No. 3, both from 2009—the Red House Furniture spot, which was the pair's first big commercial hit; and the Cullman Liquidation spot, which none other than Errol Morris called "the best commercial ever made." Meanwhile, the spoof anti-drug spot for Roller Kingdom, released just last week, is already up to No. 4.
Thinking of getting a tattoo or a piercing? "Don't be stupid. You'll regret it," warned this exercise in reverse psychology for the True Blue Tattoo in Austin, Texas. Year: 2010.
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a great place … to see a lot of animals defecating and fornicating. Rhett & Link's most scatological spot to date. Year: 2009.
The Barbering & Cosmotology School at Salt Lake Community College offers a great deal on haircuts. They're just $2! However, as the staff will happily remind you, they're still learning—they might mess it up royally. Year: 2009.
Margaret Hughes speaks cat and can read their minds. This commercial was meant for cats. It urges them to stay at the Holiday Hotel for Cats in Los Angeles. Meow! Year: 2011.
The inspiring story of how a Cuban genecologist became an American used-car dealer at TDM Auto Sales. One of Rhett & Link's first hits. Year: 2009.
- Would Yahoo or Facebook Make a Better Tumblr Parent?
- Gevalia Aims for a Buzzy Social Partying Weekend
- Modest Buzz for NewFront Content Based on Social Sharing Data
- Former Publicis COO Richard Pinder on Reimagining Global Networks
- Meet the Sleepy's Creative Finalists
- Yahoo Adding Tweets to Homepage
- Embattled Abercrombie CEO Backpedals on Exclusionary Comments
- NBCUniversal Expands Licensing Deal With Amazon
- Goodby, Silverstein Brings the Funny for YouTube's First-Ever Comedy Week
- YouTube Star Tobuscus Forced Into Making Insane Musical Ad for Hot Pockets
- California Winery's Ads Pair the Product With Sex, Drugs and More Sex
- Yahoo in Talks to Acquire Tumblr
- Michael Ian Black's Twitter Ad for Dos Equis Does Gangbusters Thanks to All the Haters
- Microsoft Hammers Google in Leaked Parody of a Chrome Ad
- Ad of the Day: Getty Images
- How AT&T Got Kids to Make Some of the Year's Best Ads
AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd. Updated every weekday, with a weekly recap on Saturdays.


Email
Print







