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.
Mediaweek has been asking the industry to take a trip down memory lane, to find out all about the ads that made us.
Hannah Coombs – Head of Production, Melbourne Social Co
Carlton Draught: It’s a BIG ad
This really was a BIG ad and I have always remembered it this way. When I was young I was so fascinated by how they were able to create the shape of a person drinking beer with actual people. The song was dramatic and something that always stuck in my head. At the time the ad was airing on TV, there was a lot of general chatter about it in conversation, which is always an indication of an iconic ad.
Georgie Nichols – National Sales Director, Seven Network
P&G Always #Likeagirl June 2014
Early in my career, I lived in London and was lucky enough to work as a strategist on the Always product line for P&G across EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). It was an incredible opportunity to experience how a global brand promoted a product across countries with significant cultural diversity with sensitivity, brand consistency and in an incredibly impactful way.
Fast forward to 2014 when I am mum to two young girls and Always launched the brilliant #likeagirl campaign, which struck a massive emotional chord with me as a mother, a woman and as a female leader in our industry. This campaign was based on the core insight that 72% of girls felt society limited them and 50% of girls felt paralysed by the fear of failure through puberty. The campaign challenged societal biases and the perception that girls can’t be brave, strong or smart and tackled the then derogatory term #likeagirl head on.
I love this campaign for so many reasons, but my top three reasons are:
1. Three times more girls had a positive association with the phrase #likeagirl post campaign.
2. It demonstrated the power of advertising (and our amazing media industry) to create positive behavioural change.
3. #likeagirl is a phrase I have talked to my girls about for 10 years now and it has helped empower them to not accept gender biases and push themselves forward with confidence in so many areas including previously male dominated sports such as AFL and surfing.
Ten years on, there is still a lot more to do to overcome gender bias but I am proud to work in an industry that champions women and delivers campaigns that ARE driving change (Dove Real Beauty another great example from Unilever). We have come a long way since the #likeagirl campaign launched in 2014 and no greater example of this when you look at how many women we have in leadership roles across our industry: 47% of management roles are now held by women vs 40% in 2014 (MFA 2024 and 2014). So many amazing female leaders delivering change #likeagirl
Jack Cleaver – Senior Digital Strategist, Bench Media
Weet-Bix: How Many Do You Do?
As a kid growing up in Australia, you idolised professional sportspeople, and the Weet-Bix ads promised to help you achieve greatness. The ‘Aussie Kids are Weet-Bix Kids’ jingle was catchy (still being used to this day), and the ads featured Aussie sporting legends like Brett Lee.
The ad that really stuck with me was the ‘How Many Do You Do’ ad with the world cup winning Wallabies team. With aspirations of becoming like them, the concept of eating as many Weet-Bix as humanly possible became a daily routine in our household.
See Also: The Ads That Made Us: Cadbury Gorilla, Cottee’s Cordial, Banana Boat
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Top Image: Hannah Coombs, Georgie Nichols, Jack Cleaver