Gareth Collins of Luckybeard picks his (brand experience) Desert Island Ads

In a time of infinite choice and limited attention, how a brand shows up at every touchpoint matters more than ever. The brands that thrive are those that deliver consistent, considered and creatively compelling brand experiences.
My chosen ads each demonstrate how advertising can go beyond awareness, acting as a strategic tool to shape perception, shift emotion, and unify the brand experience across channels. They show the power that creative work has on influencing how consumers feel, what they remember, and ultimately, how they engage with brands.

Desert Island Ads

It’s a Skoda, honest.

This campaign stood out a mile for its honesty – it said what everyone was thinking. During a time when advertising was still largely about projecting perfection, Skoda leaned into its baggage. “It’s a Skoda, honest” openly acknowledged the brand’s poor public perception and used it as the creative hook.

The ad became the catalyst for a broader brand reappraisal, showing it was more than for entertainment. It helped close the gap between product quality and brand perception, which is a critical tension in shaping cohesive customer experiences. It essentially acted as a bridge between engineering and emotion, signalling that what customers might have once mocked was now worth a second look.

Within the wider brand’s strategy, the campaign marked a decisive turning point. Skoda was in the midst of a transformation under VW’s ownership, with better design, reliability and value – but none of that mattered if people wouldn’t even consider the brand. This ad didn’t just tell people the product had changed; it made them feel like it was OK to change their minds. It gave the brand permission to be taken seriously, and in doing so, elevated every subsequent touchpoint in the customer journey.

Avis – We Try Harder

Its honesty and the reframing of a weakness into a positive is just genius. At a time when most brands were fighting to be seen as the best, Avis leaned into being number two and turned that into a strength. “We try harder” was the perfect promise and challenge at the same time, going beyond advertising to become a blueprint for the customer experience.

From service attitude to operational delivery, “We try harder” became a lens through which the whole business was evaluated. In that sense, the ad became a microcosm of brand experience: simple, transparent, and rooted in customer value.

Strategically, this campaign repositioned Avis in the market and redefined the brand’s identity. It carved out a meaningful, emotional difference in a commoditised category, and built long-term brand equity by connecting messages to experience and the line became a lighthouse for the brand – guiding expectations and communications for decades to come, proving that a great ad can do more than sell.

Tesco – Every Little Helps

While not a single ad, “Every Little Helps” stands out as one of the most effective brand platforms in UK retail history, completely reframing Tesco’s relationship with its customers. It moved away from price shouting or seasonal promotions and instead focused on small, meaningful improvements that made everyday shopping easier.

This platform elevated the brand experience by aligning what Tesco said with what it actually delivered. It was backed by a host of tangible service promises – opening a new till if more than three people were queuing, introducing parent-child parking, and improving store accessibility. These shifts were practical, rather than just marketing gimmicks, and actually improved how customers experienced the brand.

Strategically, “Every Little Helps” marked Tesco’s evolution from a transactional retail brand to a customer-centric one, creating a long-lasting emotional contract with shoppers. It helped establish Tesco as a brand that understands the value of the small things, and is a clear example of how brand experience isn’t just expressed in their communications, but delivered through their actions.

Red Bull – Felix Baumgartner Stratos Project

The sheer audacity of this project makes it impossible to ignore – a global moment that blurred the lines between brand, content and culture. No traditional ad could compete with the impact of millions watching, live, as a man leapt from the stratosphere wearing a Red Bull logo.

While other ads talk to the brand experience, what makes this ad so extraordinary is that it is the brand experience. The Stratos project exemplified the brand’s commitment to pushing boundaries, both physically and creatively. It gave people an unforgettable encounter with Red Bull’s brand purpose – to give you wings – brought to life at a previously unimaginable scale. This brand identity in motion redefined what modern marketing could be, proving that when done right, experience is the most powerful form of communication.

EE – modern family – “Broadband made for you” campaign / “This is EE full fibre”

I remember seeing this work and thinking how refreshingly honest it was in its approach, showcasing relatable household dynamics and a product that meets them head-on – instant broadband and WiFi.

The campaign elevates the brand experience by highlighting practical innovations that genuinely improve daily life, like the ability to boost Wi-Fi when kids get home from school, or pause it at dinner or bedtime. These are clear signals that EE understands its audience and has engineered the experience around their needs, moving the product conversation away from speed and toward emotional connection.

This campaign also moved EE away from the commoditised world of “fastest” or “cheapest” and into a space of meaningful differentiation, grounded in user experience.

Gareth Collins is CEO of brand and communications at brand experience agency Luckybeard.