Help wanted
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Hello,
I’m giving a talk on the history of British advertising.
Although I have a good structure and some great examples I don’t want to miss anything.
So I ask you, dear readers: is there anything you would deem indispensable to that subject?
Seminal moments? Corner-turning ads? Famous characters?
If you wouldn’t mind commenting or emailing me (bwmkay@gmail.com) I’d be most interested in what the rest of you think makes up the history of this industry in this country.
Thanks
Ben
It might be easier for us if you’d give us a brief run down on what you got so far?
Cool, well having gone through the influences of the Industrial Revolution, the rise of psychology and WW1 I’m starting from the creative revolution: looking at CDP, BMP, Saatchi and Hegarty, Puttnam, Parker, Lowe and Scott, Webster, Abbott at DDB etc., Trott, Steve Henry, Palmer and Denton, Tom and Walt, Cabral
Lowe joining in the 70s
Then Saatchi and Saatchi, GGT and BBH into the 80s,
HHCL, AMV, Simons Palmer, into the 90s
The rise of Mother, W&K and Fallon in the 2000s
Hovis
Parker’s Birdseye stuff
Smash Martians
Handbuilt by Robots
Heineken
B&H Iguana
Hofmeister
Hamlet (how many great brands began with H?)
Holsten Pils old movies
Levi’s Launderette/Creek/Drugstore
BA Face/Manhattan
Wrangler Pirate DJ
Nike Can I Kick It
Tango
Dunlop Unexpected
Guinness Surfer
The Jukka Bros (epitomises ads in 2000)
Grrr
Balls
I’ve probably missed some glaringly obvious ones, but that’s just from my perspective. I’d love to hear from anyone who lived through it. What was a game changer back then.
PS: the talk is only 45 mins-1hr, so I’m going to have to skip through the big points rather than deep dive. It’s more a ‘this is the path that got us here’ thing.
Cheers!
Alan Midgley maybe?
Saatchis work for Maggie T and the Tories…?
Allen Brady and Marsh. The people’s choice. And the client’s.(for a while, anyway)
Advertising how it was, as to how we prefer to remember it, like:
Milk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoPLd2ox1uM
Woolies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDiCaw8CMeU
Weetabix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV3E2SJ4B7U
and er, Savile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut6D-1akP_w
also sticks handles to teapots
labour isn’t working.
the first for making 3D out of print media and generally pushing everyone to think differently about posters and print generally.
(plus it was exciting).
the second simply because.
I always thought the “It’s a Skoda, honest” campaign had a big impact.
I think the Saatchi bid for Midland Bank is a seminal moment. Arguably the point at which UK advertising peaked. Bit of info here:
http://jeremylee.campaignlive.co.uk/2013/03/12/saatchis-finally-gets-its-hands-on-the-midland-bank/
I think ‘the one ad that made me get into the business’ is always a good yardstick.
For me it was B&H Iguana. People in the cinema stood up and cheered and clapped. Seriously. They did.
Blackcurrant Tango / St George did it for a whole generation.
I’d like think the early BBH Audi TV spots were game-changers. But maybe that’s just because I worked on them.
Yes. Back in 1912.
Definitely Saatchis/Conservatives/Midland Bank.
And I think a bit of ABR for the fun of it.
Thanks for the help so far.
Banner ads. Mention banner ads.
When I started CDP was the shining star, closely followed by BMP. My first boss used to go on about Colman Prentice and Varley being good in its day but I don’t know what they did.
For me the arrival of GGT was the most exciting development.
It was like the invention of Punk.
They had an anti art direction look that couldn’t be ignored, the commercials were like a (very enjoyable) slap round the face.
My old boss John Hegarty used to call them the thinking mans ABM (which I thought was a great compliment).
I think ‘Ello Tosh gotta Toshiba’ sums them up better than Holsten Pils…..(in my humble opinion)…..waffle, drone, bore.
When brands became deliberately lo-fi (Ronseal) or self-deprecating (Avis, Skoda, Marmite) to stand out.
Silk Cut posters
Boddingtons cream of Manchester
Stella Artois
Independent litany
Guardian pov
Smirnoff through the bottle ad
Playstation double life
Economist
ps……delighted that some of my work made your list. x
Peperami animal
ok I’ll stop now
@ Mark: OF COURSE.
Pregnant man. Campari with Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins. ‘Were you truly wafted here from Paradise? Nah, mate, Luton Airprt.
Something from HHCL. Blackcurrant Tango “Sebastian”?
Fine suggestions.
I’m with Mister Gash about ads that inspired you to get into the business.
The original Johns Smiths ads with Jack Dee inspired me, the BMP ones.
How about Viral ads?
When you talk about GGT and ABM don’t forget the great ‘slogans’ that came out of Y&R in the 60s & 70s – Everyone’s a Fruit and Nutcase.” “Beanz Meanz Heinz” ” The Smirnoff campaign. Old but still seminal.
A history of British advertising? And you don’t intend to mention JWT, McCanns, Masius? Or the out of town agencies like Cogent Elliott, Halls of Edinburgh and others (that also won stacks of awards)?
Nah, I’ve only got 45mins to an hour.
sr gibbs toothpaste. The first ever tv ad needs a mention.
Halls was the first out of London agency to win three D&AD silvers in consecutive years.
That’s not really enough to make me give a shit.
This is about the journey that got us from the beginning to here. Which ads and agencies changed the course of the industry?
Brian Baderman’s work for Diesel.
How do we get to see it. Who are you presenting to?
Oh and separation of media buying from ad agencies.
Ben, you may be aware of this, but this is on tonight on ITV at 8pm…
http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-guide/03-09-13/ade-in-adland
http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week36/ade-adland#.UiYPcWRAQVk