M&C’s Elspeth Lynn picks her Desert Island Ads

Elspeth Lynn is group ECD of M&C Saatchi. Prior to moving to the UK from Canada in 2009 she c0-founded Canadian agency Zig (sold to MDC Partners in 2006) which had grown to 130 people with an outpost in Chicago. In London she worked first as ECD of digital agency Profero before joining M&C in 2012.

I chose these as my Desert Island Ads because each one has taught me how to see something differently, how to tackle a problem, how to always remember there is another way to express an idea. Though there are many great ads that have been done; these are the ads that have inspired me the most.

Economist ‘Henry Kissinger’
This taught me that you just have to be true to the product and simply find the most powerful context to put it in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vTMogcvVeM

Honda ‘Grrr’
This taught me how to build a philosophy, not just sell a car. The message, the feeling, the writing, the execution was brilliant purely because of the thinking behind it. Sheer genius. the perfect ad for me.

Bud Light ‘Whassup’
This taught me how you can capture the collective spirit of men with one word. Proving men are even simpler than I originally thought.

Old Spice ‘The Man your Man could smell like’
This taught me about integration. All the ingredients that this campaign uses are found in this execution. Best writing ever. And best abs.

Dove ‘Evolution’
This film made the most out of what was a self-esteem workshop for girls. This taught me if you have the right cause, you can always make a great piece of film without a lot of money or a TV media buy. Just belief in doing the right thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Uniqlo ‘Uniqlock’
This taught me that fashion can be innovative, shareable, clever and digital.

That you can have an always on, 24/7/365 idea where people sharing it is the media buy. An idea that shows off the products, all the time, worn by dancers, not models. A whole slew of lessons from this one.

http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/corp/eng/projects/uniqlock/

Burger King ‘Subservient Chicken’
This taught me that advertising was never going to be quite the same again. Digital was finally official. It was a must-learn, not an option.

http://vimeo.com/16742192

Apple ‘Think Different’
This one taught me how advertising can adjust the thinking of a culture. Shed light on the less obvious. Make anyone who’s different feel proud. And at the same time, sell exactly what a brand stands for in an emotional, heart warming way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswMzUWOiJg

The Independent ‘Litany’
This taught me that sometimes the product message you least expect to hear is the perfect way to sell it.

Metro Trains ‘Dumb Ways to Die’
The most recent piece of genius taught me there are always fresh new ideas and ways to execute something. To never say ‘die’ to our imaginative and inspiring industry that keeps on moving us all forward with ideas.