The Top 10 Everything of 2009

Let's face it: anyone can sell good stuff. But how do you explain yourself when things have gone horribly pear-shaped? This spot, which aired shortly after GM declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy even after a taxpayer bailout — and rubbed almost an entire nation the wrong way — was certainly gutsy. Frugally made, and visibly so, it manages to strike the right tone, of stoically putting the hand to the plow and slogging on. It's not going to win any awards for dazzling artistry, and it drew criticism — and spoofs — at the time, but it's an admirable alternative to, say, the banking industry's approach to talking about crises, which appears to be to pretend they never happened.