Gate + production head Rhiannon Lewis picks her Desert Island Ads

Desert Island Ads

When putting these together, I started to over think what made a good advert…was it the visual splendour? The amazing film making? The creative? How successful it was? I decided I’d just go for ads that, in my opinion, are iconic. I’ve tried to explain why below…

Guinness – The Surfer

Yep, it’s on everyone’s list, but it truly is the number one spot in my opinion – due to it living rent free in my head since I first saw it. So iconic that, on the most part, all you’d need to do is whisper “Tick followed tock followed tick” for me to know exactly what you were talking about. It began my obsession with anything Jonathan Glazer directed.

Sonia Bravia – Paint

The paint! The production! The doing the whole thing for goddam REAL! And the first proper “behind the scenes” of an advert too.

Need I say more?

Iconic.

Orange – Dancers

I hate to sound like a grumpy old creative, but they just don’t make them like this anymore.

It’s not just an advert; it’s a celebration of human connection. You watch them, and suddenly you’re reminded of all the beauty in ordinary, enduring love. There’s this gentle choreography between them, an unspoken rhythm that feels so authentic, so true.

And the dancing! It’s not flashy or overdone; it’s intimate and quietly stunning, like a private moment you’ve stumbled upon but feel privileged to witness. The music—Brian Eno, of course—wraps around the visuals like a hug, soft and tender, elevating it all.

The genius is in how it draws you in, how it tells a story with no words. It’s not about selling a product; it’s about selling a feeling—a little slice of humanity that reminds you what’s worth holding on to. A perfect blend of emotion and art, it’s one of those rare ads you’ll never forget

Tommee tippee – Booblife

OK, so this one is one I made, but it’s the one piece of work out of the past 20 years I’m most proud of. Director Fiona Burgess and I poured our hearts and our own experiences of motherhood into making this.

The team at Manifest London trusted us to bring their manifesto for feeding to life – to get rid of any shame around bottle feeding, or breast feeding, or any unwanted judgements to do with fighting your way through the 4th trimester whilst trying to keep a tiny human alive. It was a tits out loud and proud rally cry for mothers. It broke the internet (literally, it got banned across many platforms – too much nipple apparently), and in my opinion, it’s perfect in every way.

KFC – Believe in chicken

Let’s talk about KFC’s Believe in Chicken. It’s a hypnotic, surreal masterpiece—bold choreography, Gregorian chants, and a chicken-inspired ritual that somehow feels both hilarious and profound. Directed by Vedran Rupic, it’s a reminder of what happens when clients trust their creative teams to go big and weird. The result? Pure magic.

While Orange Dancing sweeps you up in quiet, nostalgic charm, KFC is a full-sensory spectacle that unapologetically celebrates absurdity. Watching it made me believe in the power of advertising again — how great ideas, when fully embraced, can make even chicken feel transcendent.

Rhiannon Lewis is head of production GATE+, part of Tag Worldwide.