What does E*Trade, Direct TV, Stanely Steemer and Free Credit Report.com have in common? No, no one is offering Direct TV subscribers O.A.C. online stock certificates in Stanely Steemer Inc.   In 2009 their commercials were voted to be the worst ads on television. Not a desirous achievement considering each ad came with a price tag in the millions. Who remembers seeing these ads? The talking babies of E*Trade, or Direct TV's Chris Farley commercial? Nope sorry doesn't ring a bell.   Can these companies account for the effectiveness of their terrible marketing campaign? 

When corporate giants like Chrysler, Motorola and A&P Groceries are flailing, no one can risk throwing money away with ineffective advertising. In that regard, who would risk pulling an effective ad? The companies that survive are the companies who hold their advertising accountable with Call Tracking. Forbes would call this making “Data Driven Decisions”.

Call Tracking systems that allows subscribers to accurately discern which ads are drawing in customers or clientele, making it simple to track which advertisements are effective, and which aren't. This system works by allocating a unique number to each ad that forwards to a business phone. Call Tracking provides up-to-date dynamic reports or the traffic each ad is generating. The inbound and outbound calls are digitally recorded and stored online, increasing accountability among those who are handling the calls and serves as a beneficial training tool.

So what are the best commercials? The effective ones providing a return on your initial investment. Nonetheless, the consumers who voted would say, Gas-X's Commercial, “The Job Interview”, Cash4Gold's Super bowl commercial and DosEquis's “The Most Interesting Man in the World, hold the heavy weight of the best ads of 2009.