Excuse some of my historic choices below, I’ve been in the agency world since the nineties and great ads stay with you, no matter when they were first screened.
I started my career at agencies before becoming a champion for the work these brilliant organisations do, first at IAPI in Ireland and more recently across Europe as CEO of the European Association of Communications Agencies.
Desert Island Ads
Guinness
It’s Christmas ad season and while we debate the merits of the latest John Lewis and Aldi ads, nothing – not even the annual Coke ad – beats the Guinness Christmas ad that’s shown every year in Ireland.
It’s been on telly for decades and covers all the emotional touchpoints that you’d expect for an Irish Christmas. Given its age, there’s not a trace of AI about it, just brilliant craft, character and filming. It’s not really Christmas until I’ve seen this.
Levi’s Launderette
As an 80’s child, this is my classic ad. It brings me back to the era of Nick Kamen and while it’s totally sexist, it does it in such a humorous way, it couldn’t be offensive. I think it might also have been the first time a brand ad resonated with me as part of what could be a much bigger story line – remember this was the era of Risky Business.
Ikea
I love print ads and I think Ikea does them brilliantly. They completely get that copy and art direction can form a perfect marriage in this medium and sadly I think this is a lost art in many creative departments. Ikea understand that brand-building and opportunistic advertising can work together. This is just one example, created when the new Apple Mac Pro was launched in 2019, thought to resemble a cheese grater!
Specsavers
As a frequent flyer, airport advertising is a big part of my exposure to commercial communications. I also appreciate the insight behind this Specsavers ad that none of us works brilliantly after a flight, particularly a long haul one.
Leveraging a long-standing slogan – Should’ve Gone to Specsavers – the brand successfully convinced passengers in Sydney that they were in Melbourne via a simple OOH ad. It’s on message, it’s funny and it created a real buzz well beyond the airport.
Partners Life
Integration is a highly effective strategy for a great TV ad and this is the smartest I’ve seen. New Zealand’s Partners Life, teamed up with hit TV show, the Brokenwood Mysteries, to create a memorable message for the category none of us really wants to think about, life insurance.
The show follows a formula in that each episode ends with a body in the same morgue under a blanket. So ahead of the credits for each episode, Partners Life ran a 30-second ad in which the murdered character comes back to life to reflect on their regrets, including their lack of life insurance.
Created by Special New Zealand, each ad in The Last Performance humorously reminded viewers that you can’t get life insurance after you’re gone.
The campaign won the Health & Wellness Lions Grand Prix at Cannes in 2024.
Charley Stoney is CEO of the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA.)
