The ten ads that changed advertising

The British magazine Campaign selected 30 ads and they asked senior figures to vote for their favorites. This is the list of the brands that changed the way we thought about advertising forever. Mind the reasons why these ads are so important. In chronological order: 

1. Gibbs SR / Gibbs / Young & Rubicam / 1955 – because it was the first ever ad on British TV 
2. Think small / DDB / Volkswagen / 1962 – because it went against all the prior rules of how to sell 
3. Hilltop / McCann Erickson / Coca-Cola / 1971 – for the breathtaking appropriation of love and tolerance by a brand 
4. Iguana / Collett Dickenson Pearce / Gallagher / 1978 – enigmantic, utterly compelling … opened up a new (and surreal) palette to advertisers 
5. Labour Isn’t Working / Saatchi & Saatchi / The Conservative Party / 1979 – changed the way agencies (and political parties) thought about advertising forever   
6. Manhattan / Saatchi & Saatchi / British Airways / 1983 – the first ad to straddle the corporate/consumer divide 
7. 1984 / Apple / Chiat Day / 1984 – demonstrated that impact can be more effective than exposure 
8. Launderette / Bartle Bogle Hegarty / Levi’s / 1986 – changed the way advertising thought about music 
9. Hello Boys / TBWA / Playtex / 1994 – the moment when advertising realised what PR could do for a campaign 
10. BMWfilms.com / Fallon / BMW USA / 2001 – demonstrated that the internet was a viable alternative to television and, that if the content is good enough, viewers will seek it out.