Corey – Nike: Take it to the next level (Euro 2008)
How do you take a football advert to the next level? Give Guy Ritchie 3 minutes to depict every football lover’s dream.
The advert begins with the fictional hero scoring a free-kick screamer in a Sunday League game with Arsene Wenger in attendance, which leads to him getting snapped up by Arsenal. From there it shows the dedication and hard work it takes to stay at the top level, while also showing the high life off the pitch. Brief cameos from some of football’s biggest stars made the advert even better.
The advert ended, quite brilliantly, with the protagonist lining up a free kick in the exact situation as the start of the advert, but this time on the international stage for Holland playing against Portugal. The first-person experience allowed one to almost get a taste of what Premier League and international football is like.
Naomi – BT family series of adverts
BT’s family campaign launched in 2005 and ran for 40 adverts over 7 years. The adverts brilliantly depicted events that would occur in everyday life, awkward moments, house moves, and break-ups, with the series aptly ending with the couple getting married.
The advert series not only pushed the message of BT being for everyone, but the series also gained serious engagement. In 2011, BT co-created the storyline with the public via social media, where more than 1.6 million people voted to decide that Jane would become pregnant. Traction from a series of adverts that any company would be envious of.
Laura – John Lewis: 2013 Christmas Advert ‘The Bear and the Hare’
The animated 2013 campaign by John Lewis features a hare buying her bear friend an alarm clock so he’d wake up from hibernation in time so she wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. Lily Allen provided the backing music for the advert with an excellent cover of Keane’s ‘Somewhere only we know’.
The advert is regarded by some as the most effective John Lewis advert of all time after research from unruly.com and metro.com. The campaign came with its own range of merchandise which provided a 97% sell-through rate and the majority of merchandise was sold within 10 days.
Mason – Reebok: Blob
One of the grossest sights on television came from the 00’s Reebok advert.
The advert featured a nearly 8ft wide and 5ft tall foam stomach chasing a man wearing Reebok trainers throughout the streets. The 40-second commercial ends with the camera panning to the sole of the runner’s shoe that reads “Lose your belly”, appealing to the non-athletes.
The campaign was designed to separate Reebok from the slick, aspirational image of rival sports giants- Adidas and Nike, by appealing to a greater market and the average individual. The slogan of the campaign, “Reebok. Whatever your goal” appears at the end to underpin the message of the commercial.
Vinny – Nike: Olé / ‘The Other Game’
Another classic from Nike, this time the 2004 advert featuring footballing royalty from Brazil and Portugal. The ‘Olé advert begins with Ballon d’Or winners, Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Figo engaging in a pre-match nutmeg competition continues, and features the likes of a young Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Romario, Denilson, and Ricardo Quaresma.
The ‘other game’ continued throughout the inside of the stadium, eventually reaching Ronaldinho who enters the pitch, flip-flapping his way past the Portugal players, only to be savagely taken down by the referee. The advert ends with the two teams lined up with bloodied noses and looking worse for wear.
Andy – VW: Keeping up with the Kremplers
The classic 1967 Volkswagen advert brilliantly positions the Volkswagen Beetle as an envious purchase while emphasising its financial value.
The advert begins with two neighbours in identical houses, Mr Jones, and Mr Krempler. Both neighbours had $3,000. With his money, Mr Jones purchases a brand-new car. A stream of deliveries arrives at Mr Kremplers house as the narrator continues, ‘with his money, Mr Krempler bought a new refrigerator, a new range, a new washer, a new dryer, a new record player, two new television sets… and a brand-new Volkswagen’.
The narrator ended with “Now Mr Jones is faced with that age-old problem… Keeping up with the Kremplers.”
Be sure to let us know what your favourite/most memorable TV advert is!