As part of the B&T CMO Power List, we asked Australia’s leading marketing chiefs what their favourite ads of all time were, specifically ones they haven’t worked on.
The response is an eclectic mix of spots from Australia, the UK and even one from the US.
One famous ad even got two mentions. Here are the ads that Aussie marketing leaders rate and why.
Annabel Fribence, McDonald’s — Marmite, ‘Love It or Hate It’
My favourite ads of all time would have to be Marmite’s ‘Love it or Hate it’ out of the UK. It’s so funny and I just love the humour. I love ads that make me laugh.
B&T: There have been many hilarious Marmite spots over the years, ‘Marmite Neglect’ (below) and ‘Marmite Baby Scan’ are a couple of our favourites.
Justine Mills, Bunnings — Qantas, ‘I Still Call Australia Home’
Qantas’ ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ has always stood out for me. It’s incredibly emotive, instantly recognisable, and has stayed true to its brand cues for decades.
What I love most is how that emotional DNA shows up beyond the ad itself — through sponsorships and activations that keep reinforcing the same sense of belonging and national pride. It’s a great example of how a strong brand platform can endure and evolve over time.
One of the more famous versions of the ad, by Ogilvy, is showcased above.
Kedda Ghazarian, Bonds — Vacation Inc
It’s like a time machine to back to the 80s in Miami, and that is their whole brand identity — It’s really cool.
Their whole online experience, the way they do pop ups, the way they activate against their brand, is all intrinsically based around this sense of being at a Miami resort in the 80s.
And they live and breathe it in every facet of the brand, from their packaging to their product, advertising ideation and innovation to the to the way you can sign up to their loyalty program, where you are given a title at the resort and are given an automatically-generated business card.
Brent Smart, Telstra — Apple, ‘Here’s to the Crazy Ones’
When that ad came out, I remember it just really moved me. I could tell you the voice over from start to finish; that’s probably the one I still find so watchable. And it’s unusual because creatively, it’s not that original, it’s a montage of famous people!
But in many ways it’s just so perfectly made, uses such a great set of words and perfectly sums up the ethos of Apple.
Michael Courtney, Coles — M&S Food, Traffic Jamming
I love the Dawn French ad from Marks & Spencer. She gets stuck in traffic, there’s road rage and then the M&S truck opens up, it captures that warm feeling of the magic of Christmas.
You know, Christmas is a special time, we’re eating special things. What I love about this ad is how it brings that really warm feeling for customers, that really connects them to that emotional part of Christmas.
Mim Hayson, Suncorp Group — Apple, Here’s to the Crazy Ones
My favorite ad of all time is ‘Here’s to the Crazy Ones, the Apple ad. It makes me feel something and I’ve always loved it. It’s as simple as that.
When I see it, it inspires me and makes me feel emotional. It makes me feel grateful for all those crazy, creative people that dare to dream and do something different and make an impact in the world.
That’s a great example of what I think makes work effective. It doesn’t make me think about a phone or a technology product, it makes me feel something and I connect that then to the brand.
Polly Blenkinship, Audible — Dove, Campaign for Real Beauty
What’s really nice about this is that it tapped into a universal truth and anxiety about unrealistic beauty standards. And what I also love about it is that it wasn’t just an ad. They launched the self esteem project, which really defined how Dove showed up as a brand, not to mention the fact that it initiated a global conversation to widen the definition of beauty.
I also love how it has reframed the function of purchasing their beauty products from focusing on price and quality, to now focusing on expressing important values and connecting with others. It is an amazing example of the power of great brand advertising in sparking conversations and shaping culture.
Also, in the back of my mind, I have also always liked Yellow Pages’ ‘Not Happy, Jan’ (below).
