So, I was doing an informal survey of television commercials last night and it seemed like every other commercial featured or included a dog! There was a begging dog in a Ragu ad, a giant poodle driving a car in a Bud Light spot, a dog fetching anytime minutes... lots and lots of pooches.

I admit that I'm a dog lover, so I'm probably more inclined to go for this type of ad. And it does accomplish its goal; I am aware that it's a commercial for Travelers Insurance and I remember the red umbrella. I'm sure that it's been true for years and years, but dogs do help sell products.

If there was one dog commercial that has really stood out lately, it was the one I saw for about the sixth time since Friday. It was on last night again. It's a Travelers Insurance ad about a dog worrying about the security of his favorite bone. The commercial is called Prized Possession, and if you haven't seen it, take a look:



The blues music is by a singer-songwriter named Ray LaMontagne. The commercial was created by Sterling Cooper. No, no! I was just making sure you were reading. It was a U.S. firm called Fallon Minneapolis (in Minneapolis) and it premiered in July, 2009.

They say that the only thing hard to direct than children is animals. The director of this commercial deserves a Clio for getting just the right gestures and reactions from this dog. The way he rubs his paws over his eyes like he can't sleep work perfectly with the music.

Without a doubt, Prized Possession is one of the best commercials of 2009.