Top 10 Television Adverts of all Time
We take a look at what we consider to be the best ten television adverts of all time, with a few fun facts along the way!
10. Sony Bravia – Bouncing Balls
Possibly one of the most artistic advertisements in the list, everything you see in Sony’s bouncing balls advert is real. 250,000 balls were purchased in the US, all the drains in these streets of San Francisco were covered up, and despite inviting a production team to add CG balls into the footage after shoot, this advert features no computer graphics whatsoever.
To make this story even more impressive, all the bouncy balls were later collected and given to local children who had turned up to watch the magic. Nice.
9. Frosties – They’re gonna taste great
You wouldn’t have been able to get through 2006 without getting this advert stuck in your head. I’m not ashamed to say I still know all the words off by heart.
By simply searching “Frosties They’re gonna taste great” into Google, I am met with several blog articles reminding us of the terrible playground rumours that the main actor from the Frosties advert took his own life. Please be rest assured that this isn’t the case! The ‘Frosties Kid’ is very much alive and has even been spotted hanging out with YouTube star Casper Lee!
8. Guinness – White Horses
Watch this advert and prepare for goosebumps. This Guinness advert aimed to combine the slow pour of Guinness, moby dick and Roman mythology, with the aim of demonstrating that good things come to those who wait.
This advertisement (despite the giant white horses) was created with authenticity in mind. The main man you see in this advertisement was found by trawling the islands of Hawaii for a local surfer who was willing to participate. Filming was a dangerous task. The crew were capsized, 60mph waves were fought against, and cameramen hung from the front of speedboats in order to capture these dramatic scenes.
7. Skoda – Cake
Possibly the tastiest advert on this list, the Skoda Cake Advert cost around £500,000 to make and involved several car parts to bake!
With ingredients including 180 eggs, 100kg of caster sugar and 12.5kg of Jam, this advert isn’t suitable for those on a diet. Unfortunately, the edible version of this car never went on sale, but the message that this car was put together with love has definitely been well received.
6. Compare the Market – Meerkats
Possibly responsible for making the Meerkat section of the Zoo a little more crowded, it’s hard to deny that the Compare the Market adverts have been a great success. We’ve seen Aleksandr grow from a frustrated Meerkat trying to grow his Meerkat comparison website to both him and Sergei joining the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nicole Kidman in Hollywood. It’s difficult to pick just one Meerkat advert for this list, however, I have gone with the 2nd advertisement of the campaign featuring the very catchy Meerkat and Market jingles.
I’m not sure how Aleksandr’s Compare the Meerkat business is going, but from the lavish lifestyle that has included eating lobsters on a river cruise, I think it’s going alright.
5. Yellow Pages – The Haircut
Possibly the most humorous advert from our list, I’m sure you all remember James Nesbitt’s clever cover-up for the worst DIY haircut of all time. However, I’m unsure as to whether James Nesbitt has visited a hairdresser’s since after seeing his long matted locks on the Hobbit.
4. Halifax – Extra
Featuring the charismatic customer services rep Howard Brown, these Halifax adverts are sorely missed. Unfortunately, this advertising campaign was pulled in 2008, which the Daily Mail claims to be because the loveable Howard Brown was “too jolly”.
Luckily for Howard Brown this wasn’t all doom and gloom, not only did his advertising fame lead to an appearance on The Office, but he was also promoted to Sales Ambassador at Halifax. Nice one Howard.
3. Coca-Cola – Holidays are coming!
After debating whether I should include a Christmas advert to the best adverts of all time, I decided that the Coca-Cola advert needed to be added. Providing a warm fuzzy feeling, this advert definitely encapsulates the excitement and magic that Christmas brought when we were young.
It could be considered a strange concept, a whole village gathering around to watch big trucks drive past, but it’s not Christmas until this advert comes on the TV. As an added note, you can try all you want to make different types of Christmas adverts Coca-Cola, but we’re only ever going to be interested in this one.
2. Budweiser – Frogs
When I decided to write about the top ten television adverts, I immediately thought of the Budweiser advert. Recently brought back to life in the recent advertising campaign for Bud Light, who hasn’t tried to mimic these frogs croaking Bud – Weis – Errr! It even features in an episode of The Simpsons – The Springfield Files.
Despite the stories about the creators of this advert coming up with the idea after drinking Budweiser in a Swamp, this simply originated from two young creative guys trying their best to regain brand definition.
1. Honda – The Cog
From this top ten list of what we consider the best TV advertisements of all time, there have been a number that has involved a lot of time and effort, but I hope you agree that the Honda advert is most impressive of them all.
Requiring months of work, a £100,000 budget, a move to a larger studio and 60 takes, the Honda advert was made. Every detail needed to be perfect, with a slight change of temperature or a small breeze affecting the whole take.