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.
This year, Mediaweek has been asking the industry to take a trip down memory lane, and to round out 2023 the team is reflecting on our own ads that made us.
Trent Thomas – Managing Director and Publisher
The Yogo ad campaigns in the late 90’s
“Yogo made so many iconic ads in the 90’s and early 2000’s that they blend together into a magnificent montage of chaos. Whether the distinctly Australian-sounding Yogo Gorrilla (voiced by Paul Johnstone) was starring in a parody of Speed, saving his best friend from an exploding warehouse, fighting an alien invasion, or climbing a mountain, the ad campaigns brought a higher level of storytelling than anything else in the market.
“Each campaign ran for roughly one to three minutes and was split up into 20-30 second segments during an ad break (usually the famed Cheez TV), and essentially used product integration in their own animated short films. Which, to a child in Australia, brought a huge level of engagement.”
Danielle Long – Group Managing Editor
Leave the World Behind by Volvo
“I’ve written about ads for over 20 years, and many iconic ads stand out: from Reebok’s Terry Tate Office linebacker, Yellow Pages’ Not Happy Jan, Carlton Draught’s Big Ad, Sony Bravia’s Balls, Cadbury’s Gorilla, Old Spice’s The Man You’re Man Could Smell Like, Volvo Trucks’s Epic Splits… I could go on.
“But, the one that really got me is an ad by Sweden’s creative powerhouse Forsman & Bodenfors for Volvo from 2013. The ad features music legends Swedish House Mafia on their individual journeys after the group split with a cover of their first hit song by Swedish singer Lune. I love the track, the four-minute film, the stunning scenery, the cold, the isolation and the constant reminder about the freedom of hitting the open road and leaving everything behind you.
“It was the first time an ad made me love a brand enough to go out and buy the product.”
Tess Connery – Deputy Editor
Chickenfeed variety stores
“Every couple of years as kids, we’d put on every jumper we owned and get on a plane to go to visit family in Tasmania. There were a lot of things we only got to do when we were in Tassie – driving a car around our friend’s farm stands out – but one of my favourites was being given $10 to spend in the toy section of Chickenfeed, a fairly chaotic discount variety shop that blew my Mainlander mind.
“The jingle was inescapable. I’d hear it on the car radio, blasting from my Grandma’s ancient TV, and whenever I caught myself absentmindedly humming it while I went about my day. And that’s not to mention the near-constant loop it was on in the stores themselves.
“Sadly, Chickenfeed is now defunct – and a little no longer goes a long, long way – but the song will live on in my head forever. ”
Alisha Buaya – Agency Editor
Forty Winks 40-hour sale
“This ad was undeniably irritating, but oh boy, that was one catchy hook that got stuck in my head as a kid. The repetitive chanting of Forty Winks 40-hour sale, along with a techno track in the background, made it impossible to forget the sale was only for 40 hours.
“Looking back at it now, I can appreciate that the jingle is actually quite the banger.”
Amy Shapiro – Senior Journalist
Berlitz / German Coastguard
“This ad still makes me laugh. Brilliant setup and punchline – what more could you want in 40 seconds?”
Jasper Baumann – Journalist
The Reading Writing Hotline
“As a kid in the early 2010s, I would dread Sunday nights.
“Before I had access to iPads, phones, and social media, the family living room was the spot to be, especially on a Sunday night. During the daytime, I’d watch Disney Channel and Nickelodeon but as night fell, Channel Nine rose to its Sunday night prominence in the Baumann household.
“It was usually The Block or RBT that my family sat down to watch, and I have fond memories of family members reacting to the characters that turned up on RBT or the amateur architectural critique thrown at the contests on The Block. Then, 7:30 pm would roll around and the ticking began.
“60 Minutes to me was the sign of freedom ending. As soon as I heard that famous 60 Minutes ticking sound, I knew the weekend would be over soon, and the Monday morning reality was inching closer. The ticking sound would play at the start of the program, the end of the program and just before it went into an ad break.
“Enter The Reading Writing Hotline.
“It’s a jingle I can still recite number for number to this day, and the specific version of the ad with the little man jumping off the plank is burned into my memory as one of the last things I would see on a Sunday night before the school week began. It’s catchy, but for me, sits in a weird purgatory of love/hate.
“Sunday nights, The Reading Writing Hotline ad and the 60 Minutes ticking sound are three things that I will always associate with my childhood, for better or worse.”
See Also: The Ads That Made Us: Aussie Bananas and Cottee’s Cordial