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Pfizer
"Unhealthy" |
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50s
20 Jan 2009 |
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Pfizer is not just protecting its bottom line when it urges us not to buy cloned drugs from the Internet. Apparently such purchases can be a danger to our health as they contain unconventional ingredients (such as rat poison in one extreme case).
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BBC
"Pack Up Your Troubles" |
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60s
20 Jan 2014 |
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This promising trail for the BBC's coverage of the centenary of World War I suggests much excellent programming lies ahead. With David Cameron proposing a "celebration" of this year's centenary and seeking to draw parallels with the London Olympics in orer to generate a bit of pre-election feelgood factor, our government is going to do what it can to avoid a thoughtful reflection provoked by this most poignant of anniversaries.
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Babylon
"A New Image" |
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70s
20 Jan 2014 |
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Well, now: this looks like fun. A brilliantly put-together selection of excerpts suggest up-coming comedy-drama Babylon really is must-see TV. Directed by Danny Boyle and coming "from the creators of Peep Show and Fresh Meat" this fast-paced trail is bound to appeal to anyone who likes their humour a bit edgy. Add Paterson Joseph, Jonny Sweet and James Nesbitt into the mix and you've got something that could cause quite a stir.
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St John Ambulance
"Nursery Rhymes" |
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2 mins 17s
20 Jan 2016 |
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The DAVID household has been intending to take up first aid lessons ever since an incident two years ago involving the near-tragic mis-swallowing of a spring roll, which has now gone down in family lore. This resolve has been strengthened on watching the new spot for the St John Ambulance in which famous nursery characters create a mnemonic song to aid CPR on babies.
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Halls
"Tough Love, Soft Love" |
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30s
20 Jan 2016 |
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If you're looking for sympathy on account of your winter cough, good luck finding it from John C McGinley. Well, sort of - it depends which side of the bed you're looking at. Halls assign their menthol and honey variants to two very different spokespeople - both played with gusto by the 'Scrubs' and 'Platoon' actor.
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Sainsbury's
"Sausage Twist" |
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30s
20 Jan 2016 |
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Hats off to BOLD's Zach Math for going the extra mile with Mike Crowe and Rob Messeter's promising script to create a really funny flight of fantasy. As in the previous ad, someone cooking a fairly pedestrian meal wonders what they can do to make it more exciting and starts day-dreaming. In this execution, a mum starts thinking about eating in the great outdoors... sausages cooked over a naked flame and the whole family ready to enjoy the sense of well-being you get from fresh air and wild possibilities.
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Amazon Prime
"Surprise" |
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30s
20 Jan 2020 |
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Nat King Cole’s version of 'Let's Face the Music and Dance' provides a pleasantly vintage soundtrack to this slapstick Amazon Prime commercial, which sees a calamitous birthday unfold in slow-motion. “There may be trouble ahead,” sings Cole, and the legendary crooner ain’t wrong. The reveal, though predictable, earns laughs with a range of memorable facial expressions.
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Open University
"Set Your Ambition Free" |
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30s
20 Jan 2020 |
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This clean, crisp commercial for the Open University starts at the end, so to speak, as former students reap the rewards of their studies. What matters most, however, is the decision to study in the first place. Thus, agency Havas London and director Ivan Bird hit the rewind button and shows the cast’s toil in reverse.
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Quorn
"Helping the Planet One Bite at a Time" |
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60s
20 Jan 2021 |
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Meatless Mondays and the communal challenge of Veganuary have spurred many to take plant-based living for a test drive over the past few years, but Quorn understand some committed meat eaters may need an extra push. This entertaining ad delivers that final encouragement in amusing fashion, as it focuses on the sustainable aspects of meat substitutes.
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NSPCC
"Speak Up" |
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30s
20 Jan 2004 |
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This ad provides a powerful portrayal of an abusive parent, and manages to do so without actually showing her on screen. The effect is seen clearly on the face of a boy who doesn't speak a word throughout. His silence allows viewers to focus on the sharp words coming from his mother, cleverly illustrating the idea that talking would help it to stop.
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Peugeot 407
"Men Are Back" |
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40s
20 Jan 2006 |
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It's a Woman's World according to this ad for the new Peugeot 407 Coupé which is shown catching the attention of all the women in this commercial. Plainly men have been banished as we see all the macho jobs such as construction workers and fire fighters have been taken by women.
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Virgin Atlantic
"Time" |
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50s
20 Jan 2008 |
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It's rare these days for a commercial to successfully describe a problem and then successfully describe a solution to it. But that's exactly what happens here as a rather wan-looking John Hannah talks about the preciousness of time and then explains what Virgin Atlantic has done to help.
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Fiat
"Bounce" |
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40s
20 Jan 2009 |
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A re-edit of a commercial from last year has people holding placards bouncing up towards the camera before the car itself does the same. The black background brings emphasis to proceedings, improving on what was already a strong idea.
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Cadbury Crème Eggs
"Egg Slicer" |
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10s
20 Jan 2009 |
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This year's cruelty commences with a brilliant leap onto some kitchen scales which act as a trampoline enabling the suicidal chocolate egg to dive through an egg slicer and reducing itself to slices of even thickness.
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Pepsi
"Pass" |
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60s
20 Jan 2009 |
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This American ad has more than a little in common with last year's Hovis ad as it attempts to show the role played by Pepsi across the generations. This slightly veers towards an unwise suggestion that Pepsi played a role in the events it depicts.
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Chemistry Ireland
"Mad Men Sponsorship" |
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50s
20 Jan 2010 |
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This series of bumpers bracketing the broadcasts of Mad Men in the Irish Republic do something that's very unusual in advertising... they advertise an advertising agency. But it's an excellent idea... all the more so because it's been pulled off with such aplomb.
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Cyber Mentors
"Cyber Bully" |
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40s
20 Jan 2010 |
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A teenage girl's sense of alienation and isolation is illustrated through a brutal act of self harm in this hard-hitting film warning about the dangers of cyber bullying. There appears to be no limits to Graham Fink's appetite for shock tactics.
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The British Family
"The British Family" |
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30s
20 Jan 2010 |
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The BBC is launching an ambitious examination of the British family and this trail uses a combination of effects to suggest that our homes are a repository of considerable knowledge about us as we pass through them on our journey through life.
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ASOS
"Next Top Model Sponsorship" |
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80s
20 Jan 2010 |
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The idea that supermodels are catty is rendered literal in this series of bumpers advertising ASOS's sponsorship of America's Next Top Model. They're good fun but cats have English accents, don't they?
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Toyota
"Waterfront" |
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30s
20 Jan 2010 |
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A reprise of a technique which has been used for Toyota before shows people unveiling a skin from the car to reveal another beneath. At the end of the journey, the driver is able to pull the entire car away before it can be given a ticket by a traffic warden. If only.
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BBC Knowledge
"Eat Up Brain" |
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60s
20 Jan 2010 |
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This impressive animated ad for BBC Knowledge suggests that it's regretful that we forget 80% of what we learn in any given day. But is it? In reality, we'd be driven insane by retaining all of the data we encounter but it provides a neat basis for a charming commercial.
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Actimel
"Bring It On" |
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40s
20 Jan 2011 |
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A series of people are ready to face extraordinary challenges after downing a small bottle of the advertised gloop. It appears to have the same property as a gallon of lager to judge by these peoples' displays of ostentatious courageousness.
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Visit Scotland
"Natural" |
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30s
20 Jan 2013 |
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As part of the "Year of Natural Scotland" campaign, this ad provides an excellent portrait of what the country has to offer by way of landscapes and outdoor activities. Impressive scenery, wildlife, and shots of the northern lights are combined with white water rafting, mountain biking and more to communicate that there's a diverse choice to be enjoyed.
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Visit Scotland
"Views" |
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30s
20 Jan 2013 |
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This does a nice job of conveying what people want from a trip to Scotland, taking in everything from the Orkney's mysterious standing stones to full-on kilt-wearing, castle-based entertainment. It's promoting the "Year of Natural Scotland", so it's not clear how theatre plays a part in that, but to say that's a flaw would just be pedantry.
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PPL
"Isn't This Life Enough?" |
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60s
20 Jan 2014 |
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Scottish band Admiral Fallow have adapted their own song Isn't This World Enough? for this feel-good ad for an American power company. It's a heart-warming collage of imagery and successfully conveys the idea that the reliable and easily-controlled energy provided by PPL is something that provides comfort to its customers.
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