Love them or loath them, adverts have always been a part of ours lives.
This YouTube ad from Yorkshire Tea popped up on my feed today and it’s superb. Yes, it’s not an ad on the telly or hosted by Pearl & Dean, but it’s still brilliant.
So, from your Ridley Scott early masterpieces to the Nescafe love story, what are the ads that you remember (surely a sign of a good ad) as brilliant…..
The first ones that come to mind are the series for Hamlet cigars – Baldy Man in the photo booth, for example – and the Guinness ads starring Rutger Hauer (who was cast, IIRC, partly because of his physical resemblance – black clothes, light blond hair – to a pint of the black stuff).
But rather than clog the thread with a lot of videos of those very well-known ads, I thought it best to just post one of my favourites. I only saw it on TV once, but have never forgotten it.
It’s for a German energy drink, I believe, and is not for those of a nervous disposition or holding a hot drink when they watch it.
Brace yourself:
Also, I should add that almost all ads on TV today are so awful and stupid that they make me want to punch myself in the head to remove the memory of them from my brain. For example, the Gala bingo ads during The Chase, which are so painfully unfunny and annoying that I wonder if they were made to win some sort of bet.
Guinness adverts had good quality control. This was the best. If someone can find a better version out there, please post.
A Guinness advert filmed, rather bizarrely, in my old hometown of Monopoli, Puglia.
I found it very easy to imagine that advert being performed by Colin Newman, late 1970s vintage…
They did have very good quality control. Two of their award-winning ads, “Tom Crean” and “Quarrel”, were created by Nick Kelly, ex of shoulda-been-bigger band The Fat Lady Sings.
I’ve always appreciated this advert for Ichnusa beer. The slogan: “If it’s going to end up like this, don’t drink it”. There’s a big billboard with this ad in Cagliari airport.
The music and the graphics are sensational, @Gary.
i googled and discovered that the music was created by a company called SIZZER.
And that the rather remarkable voice belongs to Gavino Murgia who really is quite a discovery. He is from Sardinia and started playing sax at the age of 12.
Here’s some more info.
https://ethnocloud.com/Gavino_Murgia_Trio/
https://sc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavino_Murgia
Here is Gavino playing with Paolo Fresu in some rather splendid caves.
A typical Friday evening on the Afterword. I start with a quick Guinness and the next thing I know I am wandering round some atmospheric Italian caves listening to some wonderfully inspiring music,
https://www.frasassi.com/?language=EN
Say what you like about the Grotte di Frasassi, @Gary. They certainly are not grotty.
Paolo is a great favourite of @duco01 and myself as he is a member of the Mare Nostrum Trio with Jan Lundgren and Richard Galliano.
These were the best:
Preceded by:
Classic
On the Cadbury theme…
On the Mad Men theme mentioned in the End Credits thread…
A feast of Flake.
The male singer was Dave Lloyd, later in the 70s band Nutz, a bunch of Scouser scruffs I was very fond of though they never really got anywhere.
But did get a track on the gateway to NWOBHM Metal For Muthas album
Blimey! Metal for Muthas! Blast from the past
Cockburns Port
Funnily enough, this advert came up in conversation with one of my colleagues this afternoon. I remembered the Russian submarine, the “co-“/”cock” bit and the “probably do” punchline, but had forgotten most of the rest of it.
(Edit: I have just seen the time. Make that “yesterday afternoon”.)
Edit #2. This site seems to be running on GMT because it was gone half past midnight when I posted. Who knew?
There’s always fun to be had in adverts made for other markets in a pre-YouTube era, on the understanding they wouldn’t be seen elsewhere. Here’s James Brown selling noodles:
Oh Valerie, please…
Two from me. This homage to German Expressionism
I’d forgotten that one, but that’s a great ad. “The deliciousness of judders” indeed.
And this apotheosis of the Duran Duran 80s look
The only correct answer is of course, any Irn Bru advert.
I’m not going to post links, but I think this is at the pinnacle.
Yellow Pages / French Polishers.
‘Who are you?..And who’s she?’
‘It’s just possible you could save my life’.
‘Oh, quiet…’
Honourable mentions to YP’s other ads of similar vintage;
‘Do you know the Hornby OO railways?’
and
‘I was right about that saddle, though’.
That pinnacle is, of course, shared with;
Cadbury Chocolate Fingers / Birthdays.
‘Today is Sammy the Spider’s Coming-Out Party’.
I loved the Timex watch ad in the mid 60s that had the hook “Give a merry Christmas Timex, ticka ticks Timex tra la la” to the tune of “Deck the halls”. It must be the only thing in the world which isn’t on YouTube Still remember it quite clearly.
There was a car advert 30-odd years ago called “Citizens!” (I think). Basically it was a political conference speech presented from behind a lecturn by a real, actual baby – to an audience of real, actual babies. The baby making the speech gurgles and subtitles translate his demands (basically safer more comfortable car seats for babies). It was brilliantly done.
Isn’t there one like that for nappies? Or toilet paper? Something around avoiding chafed bottoms, anyway.
Well…you’ve got me thinking now. I think I’m right though. At around the same time there was one for Johnsons Baby Wipes which had a similar premise but the baby was a cartoon and he was speaking “normally” – i.e. like an adult and saying that adults are using baby wipes for themselves and that they should buy their own.
“I am not his Mummy”
Henry McGee denies parental responsibility for The Honey Monster.
Sugar Puffs .. terrible product, memorable advert.
And before the days of merchandising … the best you’d get was a plastic badge in the box of cereal
“You know when you’ve been tangoed”
The ad was remade with a kiss rather than a slap as there were reports of playground injuries.
Not convinced it was actually Ray Butch Wilkins doing the voice over (probably Phil Cornwell)
It most certainly WAS Butch Wilkins! Gil Scott-Heron thrown in, too (genuinely)
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/nov/17/perforated-eardrums-how-we-made-the-tango-ads-gil-scott-heron
My favourite ‘interaction ‘ with an advert was at a showing of The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. A young woman in a Boots 17 advert dressed in ‘army fatigues’ in a army bunker pointing at a board* saying something like “Guys your girls don’t want this, they want this”
A very camp voice from the audience shouted “And how do you know dear”
* probably some drawings of make up, it’s a long time ago.
The ones I remember, not necessarily the best
Shake and Vac
Milk Tray
Cresta (It’s frothy man….)
Watch out, there’s a Humphrey about
and this, voiced by Bob Hoskins
Elvis Costello’s Dad singing about fizzy pop
The early version with Elvis on guitar on screen
The “classic” version
(later remade with either Nichols Parsons, Jimmy Greaves, Ronnie Corbett or John McEnroe appearing behind the fridge)
Could have sworn this was Paul Hogan and Fosters, but no…
But it might have been this one.
Yes – this is a favourite.
Another classic
Possibly not best ever, but certainly memorable if you’re old enough…directed by Carol Reed, amazingly.
Sadly the Anchor fags commercial with the jungle that ran ‘A man at sea will often hanker/for the flavour of an Anchor’ isn’t available on YT. You can imagine what we lads did with that.
*jingle* 🙄
I believe the Strand cigarettes TV ad became infamous for achieving a significant reduction in sales due to people thinking you were lonely and sad if you smoked them.
Papa? Oui Nicole? J’ai un secret honteux.
My fave of the Bacardi ones:
I was amazed to find out recently that the bland fizzy beer hasn’t been branded as Carling Black Label since 1997, such was the enduring power of the ads to someone who didn’t want the product.
It returned to sale last month in a new “premium” 4.7% ABV version as if what the UK needed was more lager.
https://www.beerguild.co.uk/news/carling-launches-black-label-new-beer-revives-iconic-name-for-uk-market?utm_source=copilot.com
I don’t mind a good lager but Carling is effing awful stuff. Apparently Madri is the old Carling, and they reduced the ABV of Carling. It’s the same stuff watered down essentially.
We have Carling here too, some of it is strong (Ice 5.5% brewed here)
https://www.lcbo.com/en/carling-ice-177717?srsltid=AfmBOoo0bEUli4TczJkkU4UVM4pAzXkwBSaOecE6c6DiB7xQxAnEjHHx
Madri isn’t great either.
The re-introduction is what led to find out it had been withdrawn decades ago. I didn’t realise that it had ever gone away.
I went to a Thea Gilmore gig at the Underworld in Camden. As we went in they were giving Free Pint of Carling vouchers so we said “no you’re all right”. The guy said “you might as well, the bar has nothing else”.
Fortunately Thea was good.
Getting your head down? Jolly good idea.
I was a fan of the Peter Kay John Smiths ads. Dreadful beer, but funny ads…my favourite…
This one is excellent too.
Another “shame about the beer” beer advert.
One I remember fondly from the early 80’s is Kenneth Williams advertising North Sea Ferries
This may have been a northern only advert
Wrong in so many days but back in the day it was super popular and on in cinemas!
The “Just Divorced” VW Golf ad from 1994 which used Young At Heart by The Bluebells. I picked up the CD single for 50p at Easter, “the original hit single as featured in the VW commercial” and the VW logo slapped on the cover.
Tracklisting:
1. Young At Heart
2. Cath
3. I’m Falling
4. The Patriot Game
which is, quite honestly, the Best of The Bluebells. And it got them back together and back on ToTP.
Pint of Harp please, chief