shots 159: F is for Favourites

Fresh, powerful and relevant – Real Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

My favorite campaign in recent memory is Dove’s Real Beauty. It’s a platform that shattered all category conventions, and has proven staying power, remaining fresh and relevant year after year. It forced the beauty industry to reconsider its unrealistic standards, and laid the groundwork for other female empowerment campaigns like Always’ #LikeAGirl, Pantene’s Sorry Not Sorry, Under Armour’s I Will What I Want… the list goes on. Every year this platform pumps out a couple of amazing, world-famous executions from different parts of the globe, proving how universal this insight is. It is also the campaign that consistently generates the most envy in our industry. Which is always a sign of greatness.

Tor Myhren

Worldwide chief creative officer, Grey; president, Grey New York

Extraordinarily viralesque, even before viral existed

The first time I saw Blackcurrant Tango St George, I thought it was extraordinary – the way it took over a break, how it felt viral even before we really knew what viral was. It was quite outrageous at the time, but the touches are brilliant: Ray's belly, his performance, the way the story layers up and up to the jump jet. There’s something so brilliantly British about it.

But it is a toss-up with Guinness Surfer, which I know is almost its opposite. It’s visceral in style, you feel it inside and you just wallow in its majestic filmmaking.

Kate Stanners

Chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi London

Amazingly audacious and brilliantly bottled bloody water

Bottled water. Bottled bloody water. Still bottled bloody water. The most amazing, integrated, globally-ubiquitous, masterfully co-ordinated multimedia achievement of the last quarter century has been the relentless campaign to convince grown human adults (living within constant arm’s reach of working taps full of drinkable water) to part with actual money for environmentally questionable plastic bottles of the bastard stuff. All the while accompanied by the sort of staggeringly exaggerated health benefits and preposterous provenance claims that would make a hardened snake-oil salesman blush. And be deemed laughable if employed to flog ANY other product.

So I salute your inglorious roll-call: from Evian’s Live Young, through Sapporo’s Diet Water and Dasani’s disgrace, to FIJI’s farcical globe-trotting and Delboy Trotter’s Peckham Spring. You win at water. But did you ever persuade me to purchase? Hell, Neau.

Trevor Beattie

Founding partner, BMB London

The simplicity of just doing it and nothing more

It would have to be Just Do It. Nike is one brand that is consistently loved, referenced, envied and revered by consumers and marketers alike. Media channels, platforms, technologies – they all change over time. Nike has been able to use the Just Do It mantra for several decades now and it is still as relevant as ever. In the 21st century, it’s not just about saying it but letting consumers “Just Do It”.

When we are briefed by clients, Nike is constantly mentioned – there is a great amount of admiration for it by many brands around the world. And a lot of what drives the expression of the Nike brand is “Just Do It”.

Rei Inamoto

Chief creative officer, AKQA

An eyewateringly simple yet successful campaign

My choice is a bit embarrassing. No Cannes Grand Prix, no Black Pencil, no sexy technology like Apple, or sports superstars like Nike or trendy ad exec drivers like Audi. No, it targets myopic squinters, frequently old enough to rock a free bus pass.

Specsavers Should’ve Gone To Specsavers is a creation of modest genius. First it truly is a campaign, one consistent simple message for 30 years. Next, it’s unbreakably welded to an effortless branded end line that’s as famously memorable as any Morecambe & Wise or Blackadder catchphrase. (I won’t say it, that’s how famous it is.)

It’s a comedy format so simple it’s always attracted the best directors, from Tony Kaye and Jeff Stark right up to recent spots by Pointblank’s own Nicholas Reynolds.

Long before the current fashion for decoupling, Mr and Mrs Perkins, who created the company on a table tennis table, decided to come up with the ads internally, and take them directly to the production company. Look at the result, 1,648 outlets and sales in excess of £1.7bn. Are your eyes watering? “Should have gone…” – sorry, I said I wouldn’t say that.

Tim Mellors

Creative partner, Pointblank

I bet you wish you drank Carling Black Label

I got lucky! One of my favorite spots of the last 25 years just made the cut! It’s the classic Dambusters film for the I Bet He Drinks… campaign for Carling Black Label.

Many campaigns from the last quarter of a century have inspired me, but I just love this one – I Bet He Drinks Carling Black Label. It’s still such a remarkable idea and I think one of the funniest beer commercials of all time.

The content is wonderful. It brought the language into pop culture. It’s entertaining. It’s tactical. It’s tongue-in-cheek and has a lightness of touch. It’s brand-building. It’s timeless. It sold a ton of beer. And 25 years later it’s still in the DNA of the brand. If you ran this today people would still love it.

Tony Granger

Global CCO, Y&R

Ambition and bravery win the day

There are so many ads that I love, all for different reasons. They’ve all made me believe in our industry. And it’s no coincidence that the majority of these ads are also part of long-standing campaigns, not just one-offs.

In no particular order, these are some that I didn’t do, that I wish I had done. Guinness Surfer; Nike Tag; Honda Cog; Sony Bravia; Levi’s Flat Eric; ALS Ice Bucket Challenge; Whopper Sacrifice; Red Bull Stratos Jump; Dove Real Beauty; Old Spice Responses; Carling Black Label Dambusters. But if I had to pick one it would be Blackcurrant Tango St George. It was just so perfect in its ambition, bravery, execution, irreverence and cultural insight.

David Droga

Founder, Droga5

A calculated economy of substance says it all

I’ve always liked The Economist’s first poster campaign, – “I never read The Economist”… Management trainee. Aged 42 – which I thought was a brilliant example of the power of reduction; the power of advertising to take a complicated thought and reduce it down – but to reduce it down in such a way that it opens up inside your head.

It’s an example of advertising that I’ve used a number of times to say: ‘This is how advertising works’ – certainly on posters. A total of eight words, but it defines The Economist. Genius. And [the campaign] had a real impact on The Economist, turning it into a huge success.

Sir John Hegarty

Co-founder, BBH

Taking a little risk makes for a monster campaign

In my estimation, the Beware Of The Voices campaign for monster.co.uk – done out of Saatchi in the early noughties – was an example of through-the-line perfection. Not only did it have a smart idea at its core, but every element of the campaign was a masterclass in craft. Beautifully written voiceover was accompanied by flawless performances directed by Fredrik Bond. The press was exceptional too, featuring cracking long copy and charming illustrations by Graham Carter. I love the fact that it was a bit dangerous, too. A little more of any ingredient and it risked becoming too heady and convoluted, but in its execution it came off as relatable, populist, and perfect.

David Kolbusz

Chief creative officer, Droga5 London