Great TV advertising not only delivers great results, it can also capture the public's attention and influence behaviour and language. AdNews asked a selection of marketing and advertising experts to recall their all-time favourites.
Kelly Millier
Marketing Manager Australia
Air New Zealand
Drum roll please. The original Cadbury's Gorilla gets the gong for a number of reasons. I've never met Juan Cabral but I like the cut of his creative jib.
It nails the SMP. Watching the ad is, indeed, a minute-and-a-half full of joy. So much of what we see on TV is formulaic, uninspiring and frankly quite irritating, yet most of us tune in to be entertained or to escape. Gorilla makes me smile; not because it delivers "LOL" humour but because it delivers something entirely unexpected – it entertains me.
It delivers a fresh take on an old classic. Like or loathe Phil Collins, we know the track. We've all (well, maybe not all of us) air-drummed to "In the Air Tonight" at the end of a long night when we should instead be tucked up in bed. There's just something about the build of that song that works so well for this spot.
The brand is slickly integrated. The introduction of "a Glass and a Half Full Production" is clever and naturally allows for a suite of ads to roll out. The colour purple appears throughout yet it doesn't feel like Cadbury is jamming their brand down your throat. Of course, at some stage in the future, when faced with choice at the confectionery counter, Cadbury will be hoping you'll reach for the purple wrapper.
Gorilla achieved advertising nirvana. It got talked about and it delivered results. It seems that a good chunk of us actually did go ape for that guy in the hairy suit.
Year: 2007
Client: Cadbury Schweppes
Agency: Fallon London
Director: Juan Cabral
Elizabeth Beatty
Head of OgilvyOne
Ogilvy Sydney
As a child in New Zealand I distinctly remember an ad from the early 80s for BASF cassettes called "Dear John".
This Gold Cannes Lion-winning spot by Colenso conveys the superior sound quality of BASF cassettes in an environment where, ironically, the message isn't one you would want to hear.
The story is set in a military zone reminiscent of the TV program M*A*S*H, a smash hit at the time. A cigar-chewing American sergeant shouts out a mail call and one soldier, a nerdy type, gets a cassette instead of a letter. "From my girl Shirley," he says, "We're gonna get married."
However when he presses the play button, he hears some unwelcome news: “Tonight I'm with another / You'd like him John, he's your brother." In fact, the whole platoon hears his bad news thanks to the exceptional sound quality of the BASF cassette! The strapline sums it up: "Even the Bad Times Sound Good."
All elements of what makes a TV ad stand out are there. It uses great storytelling to engage the viewer - you share in the soldier's unfolding despair as everyone hears the news as he does. And it uses a highly memorable soundtrack to convey the "news" through a superb adaptation of the 1953 song "A Dear John Letter" by Jean Shepard / Ferlin Husky. As well as being entertained, the product is the hero and clearly stands out. Even now, thirty years on, I still smile every time I see it!
Year: 1981
Client: BASF
Agency: Colenso
Director: Tony Williams
Claire Crennan
Communications Executive
OMD Fuse
It's difficult for me to pinpoint one favourite TV ad of all time, it's such a big statement to make, but rather I do have favourite category of ads and this I would simply call the "Now that was cool!" category.
I've always been one who is easily dazzled by things that are unique, colourful, attention-grabbing and simply just good looking, and no, I am not referring to that guy from the "I can't believe it's not butter" commercial. When thinking of this category a few ads come to mind - Carlton Draught "Big Ad", Baileys "Zero Gravity Bar", Sony Bravia "Balls", Ariston Aqualis "Under Water World" and the list goes on - but one ad in particular that really makes me emphasise the "Now that was cool!" is the Schweppes "Burst" ad.
It is 90 seconds of artistic genius and pure advertising eye candy! At first sight you don't recognise the branding piece as a commercial and it is not until the last 10 seconds that this becomes apparent. Any ad that isn't overtly an ad is a stand-out in my books.
More so, it's the entire package of the ad that engages you right from the start through to "a moment of Schweppervescence". The combination of music, pace and artistic imagery that makes the ad a sequence of unforgettable, engaging, unique and simply just good looking frames which leaves me every time to say "Now that was cool!"
Year: 2008
Client: Cadbury Schweppes
Agency: George Patterson Y&R Melbourne
Director: Garth Davis
Duncan Arthur
General Manager
Say Media
Favourite ads for me either relate to humour or human endeavour. So the stuff that makes you laugh and the stuff that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Ironically, the ads that I remember most vividly are ones that were clearly not aimed at me. I still laugh at the old Hamlet Cigar ads that were on TV when I was growing up in the UK.
The photo booth ad is still funny hundreds of viewings later and if you played that music to anyone in the UK over 30 they would be able to name the brand. In more recent times, as a digital media specialist, I tend to think more about ads that translate well to the web.
A brand that stands out as a pioneer in this regard is John West. The "Bear Fight" ad, with the fisherman taking on grizzly bears to secure the best salmon, dates back to 2000 and was the first ad I remember traveling around virally in the pre-YouTube days. I sent it dozens of times and saw it online long before I watched it on TV. The trick photography in that ad is something many other brands have subsequently copied to great effect but often they're already sexy brands, whereas John West is just fish in a tin.
Year: 2000
Client: John West
Agency: Leo Burnett London
Director: Daniel Kleinman
Martin Patton
Managing Director
Foundation
Every now and then an ad comes along that seemingly so effortlessly enters the Australian psyche. What's even rarer, is an ad where we actually recall the name of the brand that brought it to us and message being communicated. This ad definitely stands the test of time, as nine years on, if you Google "Not happy, Jan" you'll find 5,520,000 search results. Not bad, it's been adopted by many and repurposed but the intent remains. Say the phrase to anyone and they'll know exactly what you mean.
There's absolutely nothing sexy or innovative in this spot but it takes a normal everyday mistake that everyone can relate to, and makes it funny. I think it had tremendous cut-through, it's entertaining and memorable, has a clear message and simple message, and as previously stated, has strong branding. What more could you hope for in a 30-second spot? It's a great spot that's become part of our vernacular and has stood the test of time.
Year: 2001
Client: Yellow Pages
Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
Director: Paul Middleditch
Lloyd Perry
Founder and Chief Executive
Big Richard
If it had made its way to Australian TVs I would have said the Old Spice ad, hands down. It's the best example thus far of advertising as entertainment, and of scaling an ad beyond the 30-second spot.
For a modern-day favourite I actually liked the Ford Sportka ad with the evil car (although I did just look it up, thinking it was a Kia ad). That one got a laugh out of me.
However for an all time favourite ad, and given I work for a condom company that is serious about promoting safe sex in this country, I would have to choose the "Grim Reaper" AIDS ad of the 1980s. It scared the crap out of everyone! Not exactly enjoyable - but those ads had a tremendous, nationwide effect on public awareness of the issue, and a genuine impact on people's behaviour. There aren't many ads that can claim to do that.
Year: 1987
Client: National Advisory Committee on AIDS
Agency: Grey Advertising
Director: Ian Macdonald
Dylan Harrison
Executive Creative Director
DDB Sydney
This old gem of John Webster's from the UK has everything you need for a great idea: simplicity, relevance, surprise, originality and engagement.
Within the UK media, The Guardian prides itself on balanced debate and opinion, as it has historically been the only broadsheet without a singular political leaning. So 'only getting the whole story from different points of view' was a wonderfully observed truth elevating from a differentiating product insight.
But much more than that, this ad employs the TV medium wonderfully. The inspiration of telling the story from three different perspectives was taken from Kurosawa's classic "Rashomon" and the device is used to great effect for the first time (originality).
Using a violent skinhead as a character, a choice most advertisers would steer away from, grabs us by the throat from the start (surprising). Within seconds we've surmised he's being chased by a gang of similarly sinister thugs. Victim. We cut to a different angle and see the businessman. The skinhead rushes to him and wrestles with his brief case. Attacker. We cut to the third angle and see the skinhead is in fact saving him from. Hero.
The audience's emotions have been on a rollercoaster ride, from fearing for, to reviling, to applauding our skinhead, all within 30 seconds (engagement). And when our head catches up to our heart, we understand the message that balanced points of view tell us a more complete story than a single one (relevance).
And when it all comes together as it does in this case, it feels breathtakingly effortless.
Year: 1986
Client: The Guardian
Agency: Boase Massimi Pollitt
Director: Paul Weiland
Debra McGrath
National Brand & Marketing Manager
EB Games
My favourite ad of all time is actually a series - the Bundaberg Rum ads that began in 2006 featuring "Bundy R Bear". The evolution from the original Bundy cartoon ads and company logo to the modern day Bundy Bear campaigns captured the true essence of the Australian psyche and cemented Bundaberg Rum as a modern day iconic Australian brand.
In my opinion it was the personality that was created for Bundy Bear that was the key to the success - who doesn’t love a cute, witty, mischievous larrikin? I think that in a quirky and clever way, the creators were able to make Bundy Bear the sort of guy you would want to have in your group of friends and could imagine getting into mischief with. I also applaud the brand extension Bundy has been able to gain from these ads through merchandise sales and linked in sponsorships.
My favourite ad in the series is the "Drop Bear" ad. This ad had everything - a dig at tourist naivety about our country, a true sense of Aussie larrikinism and was able to cement the concept of "drop bears" right up there with other misguided Australian myths like we all have kangaroos for pets and wrestle crocodiles in our spare time.
Year: 2004
Client: Bundaberg Rum
Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Director: Matt Palmer
Did we miss your favourite? Leave a comment below to nominate.
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