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Outform’s Simon Hathaway picks his Desert Island drink ads

Simon Hathaway is EMEA MD of retail agency Outform. He has worked in senior positions at Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi X and at Cheil Worldwide on Samsung.

Babycham – 1986

It was the first drink specifically target at a female audience, and ask anyone old enough to remember the brand and they will recite that line – hey, I’d love a Babycham. Epic recall for years and impossible to follow – the ASA wouldn’t allow it now as it shows a positive change in atmosphere delivered by alcohol – but special to me nonetheless.

Absolut Andy Warhol – 1986

This isn’t an ad, but one of the first brand/artist collaborations that has stood the test of time. The iconic bottle shaped Absolut’s ads for a long time, but the real breakthrough came in New York City, when it commissioned Andy Warhol to do a portrait. So good it’s still being used today.

Guinness – 1999

It’s not an original pick, but if I was on a desert island I’d be waiting for the perfect wave and looking for CGI-created white horses. This short film, directed by Jonathan Glazer, was the first of an iconic run for the brand with epic sound production values and blow your mind soundtrack.

Budweiser -‘Wassup’ – 1999

Transforming Budweiser into a brand that was in touch with the cultural zeitgeist, this ad was so immense it’s spawned a worldwide pop culture catchphrase that carried the campaign into pubs, clubs and liquor stores. ‘Wassup’ is part of our everyday lexicon even today and one can only imagine what its impact might have been in today’s socially driven media landscape.

Stella Artois – The Perfect Serve, 2014

Stella’s cinematic, continental style has helped to establish a reputation as a brand that is classy but affordable and the ad’s elegant aesthetic was deservedly recognised by the great and good. However for me, the brilliance of the ‘reassuringly expensive’ strategy was that there was nearly always one format on discount in-store, so making it one of the biggest beer brands in the UK.

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