Top of the Ads

Last week Campaign magazine included a feature called “The Ten Ads That Changed Advertising” as voted by senior figures in the industry.

Whilst these ads may not necessarily be the best ever created, the've certainly changed the way that industry works and thinks... In chronological order, they are:


1. Gibbs SR Toothpaste, 1955 – the first ad to ever air on British TV

2. Volkswagen - Think Small ,1962 – because it went against all the prior rules of how to sell

3. Coca-Cola - Hilltop, 1971 – for the breathtaking appropriation of love and tolerance by a brand

4. Benson & Hedges - Iguana, 1978 – enigmantic, utterly compelling … opened up a new (and surreal) palette to advertisers

5. The Conservative Party - Labour Isn’t Working, 1979 – changed the way agencies (and political parties) thought about and used advertising

6. British Airways - Manhattan, 1983 – the first ad to straddle the corporate/consumer divide

7. Apple - 1984, 1984 – demonstrated that impact can be more effective than exposure

8. Levi’s - Launderette, 1986 – changed the way advertising thought about music

9. Playtex -Hello Boys, 1994 – the moment when advertising realised what PR could do for a campaign

10. BMW USA - BMWfilms.com, 2001 – demonstrated that the internet was a viable alternative to television and, that if the content is good enough, viewers will seek it out.

Posted By: Davey