When the news is gloomy on all fronts, it’s worth stopping to appreciate the good things. This British Arrows list of the top ten UK ads thankfully doesn’t hark back only to the “golden era” of the 80s and 90s: Bodyform’s Never just a period (2024) is at number 3, Channel 4 idents (2023) is number 7, and Nike’s Nothing Beats a Londoner (2018) is number 6.
That cant just be down to short memories, as Cadbury’s Gorilla (2007) is the runaway number one, and the ads go back as far as 1986 with Hamlet’s Photobooth.
The list in full:
- Cadbury, ‘Gorilla’ (first aired in 2007) with 26 per cent of all votes cast
- Hamlet Cigars ‘Photobooth’ (1986) with 19 per cent
- Guinness, ‘Surfer (1999) with 16 per cent
- Bodyform, ‘Never Just A Period’ (2024) with 14 per cent
- Tango, ‘St George’ (1996) with 13 per cent
- Nike, ‘Nothing Beats A Londoner’ (2018) 13 per cent
- Channel 4, ‘Idents 2023’ (2023) with 12 per cent
- Sony Bravia, ‘Paint’ (2006) with 11 per cent
- Levi’s, ‘Drugstore’ (1995) with 10 per cent
- Honda, ‘Cog’ (2003) with 10 per cent
Simon Cooper, chairman of British Arrows, said: “Great advertising enters the cultural conscience and stays there. There are plenty of recent classics in the top 10 too, and all demonstrate the impact of iconic advertising, able to entertain the masses, challenge taboos, and transform the fortunes of brands and companies. We hope this list not only celebrates the legacy of great British advertising, but inspires a new generation of creatives, craftspeople and innovators.”
Advertising can sometimes seem like a soulless business, but a look at this compilation – not all made on huge budgets – is a reminder that it does’t have to be.
