Great and failed advertising campaigns

[G-Man]

Not single commercials or ads but specific campaigns and stunts that went very well or failed spectacularly.

The discussion of Esso's Tiger in the Tank on the Racist Clarkson thread reminded me of the campaign in West-Germany, where the Esso tiger was also very popular.

Suddenly an ad was flighted showing the putative chief of advertising announcing the scrapping of the tiger. "In will report on Esso products myself from now on." Video here.

Of course there was a public outcry. So Esso turned it into a referendum, giving people the opportunity to vote for or against the tiger at Esso stations, advertised in commercials that resembled political campaigning (and I think the whole thing coincided with an election). Video and another Video.

Of course the tiger won.

[G-Man]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

And on the subject of Esso, here's the West-German team of the early 1970s filling up their cars. Thankfully they are dressed more like Messi than Dani Alves.

[Sits]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

This is probably topical, being a brand new ad which could go one way or another. 1.4m hits in its first day though.

Personally I like it.

[blameless]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

I was in Darmstadt about ten years ago on a work trip, and the Esso station had a giant inflatable tiger on its roof like the one in the background of this picture:



I got the reference immediately (the "tiger in your tank" thing was still part of Esso's image in the UK when I was a kid), but had to explain it to my baffled Sri Lankan colleague.

[Jah Womble]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

An obvious one:



(Edit: Not sure this entirely qualifies for the OP, but the squad also appeared in other spot ads for Chrysler, so I think it constitutes a 'campaign'.)

[Mumpo]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

I was thinking the other day, there don't seem to be any beautiful, abstract advertising campaigns around any more. I suppose the 70's/80's cigarette ads were the classic examples - they looked stunning and had an air of mystery about them, they arrested your attention because they weren't immediately obvious. It's just a shame they were trying to kill you.

Beautiful, mysterious and deadly.

[ursus arctos]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Esso ran the same referendum in the US.

I voted for the Tiger.

Those UK cigarette campaigns were mysterious and fascinating to a foreigner.

[Sits]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

In the UK, however cheesy they were, the Leonard Rossiter / Joan Collins Cinzano series, and the Gareth Hunt / Diane Keen Nescafé one, ran for so long they were clearly successful.

[Etienne]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

The Hoover Free Flights disaster

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

According to the Tellyads website, there were 34 separate Maureen Lipman BT adverts.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

That banned Pot Noodle advert: https://youtu.be/L_6GGDhHzKI

(Slag=slut, for the non-Brits on the board.)

[Patrick Thistle]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Does the Go Compare opera singer count? That ad campaign was so hated that they then turned it into people killing the opera singer and / or the poor guy turning up at pitch meetings trying to suggest new ideas to the obvious non-interest of his colleagues.

[Diable Rouge]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Vicky Michele, and the way she might look at you, drinking Harp.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Jah Womble wrote: An obvious one:



(Edit: Not sure this entirely qualifies for the OP, but the squad also appeared in other spot ads for Chrysler, so I think it constitutes a 'campaign'.)

Is that the '78 squad? Yes, Chrysler Avenger sounds about right.

[Guy Profumo]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

I always thought the "Tiger in the Tank" ad was popular in the UK too.

(And only referred to the eponymous "big cat")

How well did Sammy Davis Jr do with "Keep Going Shell", btw?

[Guy Profumo]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Jah Womble wrote: An obvious one:



(Edit: Not sure this entirely qualifies for the OP, but the squad also appeared in other spot ads for Chrysler, so I think it constitutes a 'campaign'.)

e.g. The "Scotch on the Rocks" ad.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Guy Potger wrote: How well did Sammy Davis Jr do with "Keep Going Shell", btw?

Dunno. I know Bing had a dabble with Shell: https://youtu.be/Huqs7c3vW1c

[WOM]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

I thought Chrysler was Talbot or something in the UK. Someone straighten me out.

[ursus arctos]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Campaign Badge from the US version of the Tiger "referendum"

[ursus arctos]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

WOM, Chrysler Europe became Talbot in the UK when it was bought by Peugeot, but that (just) pre-dates this ad campaign.

[3 Colours Red]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

"You're never alone with a Strand" - the fact the guy in the adverts wasn't really identifiable to a 50s Britain still reeling to the after-effects of WWII AND he always seemed to be standing by himself when lighting up a ciggy meant the campaign was interpreted as "you're ALWAYS alone with a Strand".

However, the tune written for the commercial is regarded as the first hit single to have come from an advert so at least it had that going for it.

[WOM]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

ursus; aha. Thanks.

[Diable Rouge]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

One of the most controversial Irish ads in 1985.

[caja-dglh]

Great and failed advertising campaigns



I was surprised to see that Access didn't win out in the credit card battles. By far the more personable of the advertising campaigns.

[3 Colours Red]

Great and failed advertising campaigns

Problem is, they then switched to overwhelmingly up-its-own-arse ponciness like this:

https://[video=youtube_share;CstQysy...?v=CstQysyh8Us[/video]