Adverts. They seem to be almost everywhere. From buses to billboards and television to Twitter, they come in many forms, formats, shapes and sizes. In this feature, I look at four brilliant and pretty modern television ads from MG Rover, Churchill Insurance, Snickers and Freeview that are well worth another look – in my opinion, at least.
Ad One: The MG Rover Car Football Advert (2004)
What do you do if you want to promote your car brand as desirable, youth-focused, fun and cool? It appears, if you’re MG from the now defunct MG Rover group in 2004, the answer lies with football, the nation’s favourite sport. MG themselves sponsored Aston Villa for several years, and it could be that football fever was a key reason for the making of this ad. Although MG Rover didn’t always get it right in the eyes of many, this advert sticks in the mind as a solid bit of motoring marketing.
Featuring the legendary stunt driver Joe Swift, the advert centres on some then new face-lifted MG ZR and ZS cars playing a game of footie on their own after a ball is mistakenly dropped by a man leaving his vehicle who is running over to a football exercise. It’s creative, light hearted, very memorable and successfully puts across the idea that MGs are zesty, agile and sporty – probably what the ad was intending to do. The music is also pretty trendy and has a youthful vibe to it. All in all, I reckon this advertisement lives up to the then brand slogan of MG itself (shown at the end) quite successfully. Top Gear fans familiar with car football will be very keen on this one.
Ad Two: The New Look Churchill Insurance Advert (2019)
If you’ve ever watched commercial TV in the UK over the last decade or two, there’s probably a very good chance at some point on an ad break you’ve came across those Churchill Insurance ads with a talking (and nodding) British Bulldog who has a tendency to say “Oh, yes!” quite a lot. The Churchill dog, as he is known, first appeared on our screens in the 90’s and certainly had longevity as a televised mascot, predating Gio Compario and the Compare The Market meerkats by quite some time. Anyway, if we fast forward to last year, the insurance mascot got a design update in a new look ad which I think is, as TV ads go, very likeable.
The new-look Churchill advert gets a lot right. I liked the relaxing background theme which serves as the backing tune and feels very easy going and pleasant. Then there’s the point being made about insurance in that it should make you feel relaxed and at ease in the world around you, which is cleverly illustrated with this image of a photo-realistic dog on a skateboard just going about his business on a nice, calm day. Quite simple, but certainly very effective. Continuity fans will like the retaining of the “Oh yes” as well. Not loud and not big, but certainly clever is how I’d sum up this ad.
Ad Three: The Snickers Mr Bean Advert (2014)
Mr Bean is a beloved bumbler who has many fans, not just in the UK, but all around the world. His antics are timeless and hugely popular, with the mostly visual humour and incredible acting talents of Rowan Atkinson cementing this clueless character as one of the most iconic that Britain has ever produced. And because Bean has that high profile, and hordes of fans both young and old, it makes a great deal of sense to have him star in an advert or two which is clearly what the marketing team behind the Snickers brand were keen to have.
The plot of the hilarious commercial focuses on Mr Bean being with a gang of Ninjas who leap and run around effortlessly from building to building in what appears to be a historic Asian setting, but with Bean being Bean, he doesn’t get things quite right in being agile and graceful in his movements. After a little encouragement, he decides to slide off a curved roof area and ends up smashing through a building, landing right on top of a soldier. That soldier’s colleagues then surround the hapless buffoon who gets a Snickers bar thrown in his direction by the ninjas seen a little earlier, causing Mr Bean to become a ninja after eating it and jumping upwards away from trouble.
In terms of the brand message, the ad says “You’re not you when you’re hungry”, which is a rather effective and memorable slogan to promote what must be one of the most prolific chocolate bars in Britain today. The ad is incredibly re-watchable, and makes you wish Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis would do some new episodes of Mr Bean in the not so distant future.
Ad Four: The Freeview Cat and Budgie Advert (2014)
This is a hugely charming advert by the free-to-air television company Freeview, featuring an impressively animated cat and budgie forming a romantic bond in song when their owner’s back is turned. Funny, unusual and characterful, the advert sustains your attention with this endearing and eye-catching spectacle to the very end where the actual product info features, which is basically that Freeview offers lots of top-notch television all with no monthly cost. Is this the best advert featuring a cat and bird ever made? The advert from 2014 can be viewed below, see what you make of it.
Words by James Gillespie