Whether it’s a childhood jingle that you can still sing word for word or a campaign that influences the way you work today, everyone has an ad that has really stuck with them.
Mediaweek has been asking the industry to take a trip down memory lane to find out all about the ads that made us.
Simon Fleming, associate creative director, Communicado
Wagon Wheels Campaign – Late 80’s
When asked to name an iconic commercial, I thought back to my childhood and instantly heard a voice inside my head saying, “Eat the Wagon Wheel, (hiccup) eat the Wagon Wheel.” spoken by a pickled herring.
These super quirky spots were a staple of my childhood, and I always loved that it ignored the actual flavour cues and instead went down the route of comparing a Wagon Wheel to some pretty horrendous snacks and claiming they tasted better.
The campaign compared Wagon Wheels to fried grasshoppers from Thailand, pickled herrings from Scandinavia and garlic snails from France.
Each time the announcer’s VO asked, “Which would you prefer?”, I knew it was always going to be the Wagon Wheel, even with the puppet of the snack coming to life and pleading with me to “Eat the Wagon Wheel”. To this day, I’d still choose a Wagon Wheel over a pickled hearing, and I still remember these spots fondly.
Olivia Garner, account manager – Wellcom
Qantas TVC – Australia Home II, 1998
This was my favourite ad as a child, I learnt every lyric and used to sing-a-long with the kids of the choir as I watched them sing this song from famous national landmarks from around the world.
This inspired me to one day visit these breathtaking places as an adult.
Even at a young age, this ad was memorable in reminding us of how special & essential travel is to experience and how lucky we are to live in a beautiful country Australia, that we love and are proud to call home.
Daniel Walsh – senior partnerships manager, Avid Collective
Sony Bravia – TV advertisement of Sony Bravia TV 1080p (The Bouncy Balls Ad)
This is a visually stunning ad, with a beautiful song. This original film took three days, a 23-person camera crew in body armour, 250,000 balls, and 12 canons for it to be realised.
I enjoyed this ad so much that on my trip to San Francisco, I asked my parents if we could stop by the street before heading back to the airport home. We were almost late! It’s inspiring and gives me hope.
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Past editions of The Ads That Made Us
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Top image: Simon Fleming, Olivia Garner and Daniel Walsh