It has been said that there are two subjects that should never be discussed to avoid arguement or confrontation, politics and religion. But there is a third.

What constitutes great advertising?

Over the years I've witnessed literally hundreds of disagreements, heated rows and even serious fisticuffs over the strategy, concept, content or quality of an advertisement or campaign and there are certainly many schools of thought as to what does constitute a great ad!

Therefore, without getting dragged into a meaningful debate with so many differing opinions which may be both right and wrong in different circumstances, here are my considerations for selecting a campaign into the 'great' category.

• More than anything, a great ad grabs your attention. Most don't. Otherwise it's pointless.

• A great campaign must, almost always, has longevity (i.e. 5 years plus)

• A great TV ad is always memorable. You must WANT to see it again.

• A great ad is always extremely well-produced whether it's a simple execution or a huge complex epic. A poorly produced ad perceives a poor product.

• A great campaign gets talked about – by the media and the public.

• A great campaign should have a clear strategy - it should know exactly what it's supposed to achieve.

• A great ad will change or enhance the public's perception of a product.

• A great ad must create intense branding familiarity and, as these will show, that can be achieved without showing the pack shot every 3 seconds.

So here we go, in my humble opinion, 10 of the greatest advertising campaigns ever produced - and I could have selected dozens more but for various reasons I feel these are particularly 'exceptional' amongst the exceptional.

You will see that these are all TV commercials and naturally as a typographer and copywriter I could have chosen so many exceptional press & poster ads but all these ads were part of multimedia campaigns that included press & outdoor (but TV & Cinema are much more fun!) and, please, apologies for the poor 'technical' quality of some of them.

So these are, as they say on TV, in no particular order…

1. BRITISH AIRWAYS

The first selection is perhaps a little cheeky and a little biased as it's the product of Saatchi & Saatchi but the agency wasn't exactly that famous for producing great TV commercials at that time (CDP across the road were the kings at that!) and Saatchis generally hit the headlines with brilliant, controversial press ads and posters – and this story actually began with a poster!

After the infamous 1979 Conservative Party success, many large corporate doors were conveniently opened to the agency, including an invitation to present to British Airways, and we went for that big time.

For the creative pitch, we had produced at least 30 press and poster concepts (and a few TV storyboards) all presented on huge polyboards with lush astralux & acetate covers at an extortionate cost to the agency and these were being shown to Charles and Maurice on the Friday before the Monday meeting.

Charles was quietly munching through his lunch as others talked through the work when suddenly he stopped, picked up a thick felt tip pen, leant over the desk and stared briefly at the awful, age-old corporate line: British Airways. The World's No 1 Airline.

Without looking up he scrawled through the 'No 1' and wrote 'favourite' and in a few seconds had altered the perception and fortunes of the airline by changing a pointless, disbelievable strap line into accessible, understandable, emotive statement that people could relate to.

Unfortunately only I saw the resulting (but irrelavent) cost and time implications of changing the presentation, but it was utter brilliance and was all revised and completed by 9:30 Monday morning.

The second genius factor came in the form of Paul Arden, an extraordinary, totally eccentric Creative Group Head (eventually Creative Director) who had no time for rules, budgets or schedules – and British Airways became his baby.

He brushed aside the tedious 'old hat' corporate image and created an extraordinary new persona using soft, dreamy advertising with a lazy luxury feel to flying, very much encompassing The World's Favourite Airline factor, and spent an exhaustive few weeks searching for the perfect music (often irritatingly, as he was in the next office!)

He eventually descended on the Flower Duet (Sous le Dome Epais) from the opera 'Lakme' by Delibes which had been previously commissioned in 1982 by director Tony Scott for his film 'The Hunger' and performed by Elaine Barry and Judith Pearce.

Paul's first British Airways commercial was produced in 1984 and the dreamlike soprano duet became the memorable BA theme for nearly 30 years - and was then re-created and re-recorded in many different styles and genres.

This second commercial was produced in 1990 by Paul and Graham Fink and directed by Hugh Hudson who by then was already a successful Hollywood director with 'Chariots of Fire' which won 4 Oscars including Best Picture (although he also attracted a Worst Picture award for 'Revolution'!).

The film was called 'Face' and was purportedly the most expensive commercial ever costing close to £1M to produce and involving a cast and crew of over 6000 and a silky smooth Tom Conti voiceover . Wow!

Unfortunately, for reasons known only to BA and their new agency (BBH) they have now ditched 30 years of successful branding with a bizarre (albeit well-made) 60-second corporate, rather pointless commercial trumpeting the history of the airline and ending with the meaningless line 'To Fly. To Serve'.

Sadly Paul Arden died in 2010. He would have been furious.

2. HOVIS

This 30-second film, called 'Bike', was produced back in 1973 by Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP), the brilliant London agency who incidentally used to share the Carpenter's Arms in Whitfield Street with Saatchi & Saatchi (not as an office, as a pub).

The director was Ridley Scott who was one of a handful of extraordinary talents at CDP who went on to later greatness which included David Puttnam, Alan Parker, John Hegarty and a certain Charles Saatchi.

Ridley Scott left CDP a few years later to set up his own TV commercial company (RSA) and then went on to make more than a few 'proper' films, such as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator (need I go on?) attracting 3 Oscar nominations, Emmy & Golden Globe Awards and a Knighthood.

His younger brother Tony skipped the advertising world and went straight from the Royal College of Art to Ridley's new company in the mid 70s and then made a few exceptional films himself including Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop and Enemy of the State - and Alan Parker's film making fame is well-known.

It was often suggested that perhaps the main reason all these ex-admen took Hollywood by storm was that they insisted on the same precise disciplines of excellence that they used in a short TV commercial throughout a full length feature film – and that is one of the reasons for its inclusion here because, at that time, it was ground-breaking, taking TV commercials to a new level of quality.

And this film is certainly the ultimate in excellence, beautifully conceived, extraordinary photography and a down to earth, gentle voiceover, and with Dvorak's New World Symphony (special brass band edition!) created the perfect perception of the product. Homely, honest, traditional, healthy bread.

Many would believe that the film was set in deepest Yorkshire or Newcastle, but it was actually shot in Shaftsbury in Dorset. The young lad was 13 year old Carl Barlow, but look out for the early career snippet of actor Bill Maynard at the very end.

So here it is. Bike. As good today as it's always been.

3. BENSON & HEDGES

Another piece of CDP brilliance, the Benson & Hedges campaign of TV, Press and Poster advertising of the late 70s was controversial in the extreme, mainly because of the subtle, often almost invisible, branding within the work.

There was certainly many an adperson and more than a few clients (Proctor & Gamble certainly, flag-wavers of clear branding) who thought it was all an egotistical waste of money but history has shown that when advertising is astonishingly good, extremely controversial and creates exceptional public and media interest – it works, with or without the logo!

This film was devised by the flamboyant Alan Waldie (who I remember used to perform rather good Jerry Lee Lewis impressions, and loved playing jokes…see below) and writer Mike Cozens, and was directed by another TV commercial director who went on to Hollywood fame, Hugh Hudson, whose first full length feature film job was ironically as 2nd Unit director on Alan Parker's Midnight Express.

The campaign's importance cannot be underestimated, not only because audiences had never seen anything like it before but also because it was very much a 2 fingers up response to the 'powers that be' that had just totally restricted the adworld from saying almost anything about cigarettes in cigarette advertising!

And despite its haunting music, mysterious journey, lavish setting and extraordinary photography, the story simply and cleverly ends back at Battersea Power Station with another curious piece of B&H advertising. A linked 48 sheet poster, again with no logo!

This original full length cinema version was the most expensive TV commercial at the time (together with the BA ad, Hugh Hudson knew how to spend client's money) and was I believe shot in Mexico – and there was an uncorroborated but hugely impish story that, during production, Hudson urgently called for more iguanas to be sent over.

A few days later a consignment arrived…of Chihuahuas.

4. LYNX

Hardly the easiest of products to work with you would think - a male under-arm deodorant designed not to stop sweat but to make it at least smell reasonable (that's it in a nutshell isn't it?).

In truth, of course, deodorants sit happily within (beside?) the mega-huge cosmetic market which allows the advertiser to be far more colourful, more creative and certainly more adventurous, and with that in mind Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty produced the extensive series of conceptually superb and technically brilliant Lynx Effect campaigns.

This 60 second film called Getting Dressed, made in 2004, rightly won a Golden Lion Award at Cannes and it is certainly one of my favourite commercials of all time.

It turns a cheeky story back to front, is beautifully produced, has an extraordinary track (an almost eerie version of Judy Garland's finest) and ingeniously ends where the story actually began – at the product's point of sale.

In our sadly overly PC world, the ad received quite a bit of flack partly because it portrayed (promoted?) flippant, casual sex, but also because it was shot in Cape Town that apparently had the highest rate of HIV in the world.

But, having said that, it's still one of the finest commercials ever made and was part of an exceptional, long term TV, Cinema and poster campaign.

As an addendum, if ever there was a case of 'you can't judge a book etc' this is one.

You could easily believe that the singer of the dreamy soundtrack on this ad is a bland, totally forgettable, non-descript Country & Western singer, but you'd be so wrong.

The singer's name is Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a huge 54 stone Hawaiian chap sadly no longer with us.

5. CARLING BLACK LABEL

The extensive TV campaign for Carling Black Label in the late 80s and 90s was interesting in that the ads never actually mentioned any attributes to the product, mainly because, if I remember rightly, the drink itself was pretty poor.

However, for reasons known only to others, in 1999 it apparently became Britain's best selling lager and I can only put that down to the advertising as I'm quite sure it had little to do with the drink itself.

These brilliant commercials were conceived and produced by the London agency White Collins Rutherford Scott (WCRS) and were immensely amusing, extremely well produced, ran for a good 15 years under various guises and always ended with the single line "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label".

They were also rather controversial, particularly the one below and I would think that they certainly wouldn't be allowed today and would be deemed racist and offensive, although I've no idea what the rumpus was about – a quick study of the 'Dambusters' film will tell you that it was the German who was the hero of the hour!

Nevertheless, there were well over a dozen in the series and I loved them. They're immensely funny and extremely memorable and probably embedded Carling Black Label well onto the marketing map. But don't mention the war.

The strap line incidentally was a reworking of a campaign that WCRS presented to the Milk Marketing Board as "I bet he drinks milk" and was never used.

THE INTERLUDE

Now for a little irony. Television is normally punctured by commercial breaks but just to be different these commercials will be punctured by an Interlude, and an old BBC one to boot. Go and put the kettle on.

There, that's better, now back to the ads...

6. GUINNESS

If ever there was an example of how exceptional advertising can totally change the perception of a product (other than the aforementioned BA, of course!) it's Guinness.

Pre 1980, Guinness was considered to be the traditional Irish black stuff made from good old River Liffey water and aficionados would assert that it simply didn't travel across from Dublin very well – and the London version, made in Park Royal, was a very poor alternative.

And it was just 'old people's stout!' and desperately needed to attract other, younger markets.

So initially its transformation fell into the hands of J.Walter Thompson, an agency not exactly renowned for its creative brilliance but at the time was probably the oldest and most experienced agency around (est.1896) they thought they'd be in 'safe' hands.

And they were right.

Their first commercial was set in a pub with a bunch of youngish people (early 20s) playing a game – blindfold tasting of different drinks. A chap sampled a couple of concoctions (getting them both right) and then sipped from the glass of the dark mysterious beer.

He smiled with approval, and took another sip and said "lovely, what is it?" and removed his blindfold. "It's Guinness" he was told to great laughter – and then followed with the punch line that changed the course of the brand.

"GUINNESS. BUT I DON'T LIKE GUINNESS!" having never tasted it in his life, which was the point.

The brand grew healthily and in 1993 moved to Ogilvy & Mather who made a series of hugely memorable ads, initially changing the stance to "Good things come to those that wait" based on the long pouring time required, considered to be an attraction of the drink.

However, they did digress from that and created this brilliant 60-second masterpiece in 1995 called "Dancing Man" and I wonder how many people reading this foolishly (or more likely secretly) emulated him somewhere!

However they quickly reverted to the stronger strategy of "Not everything in Black & White makes sense" which in fact was saying the same as the original JWT line but in a different way (i.e. things are not always what they seem!")

And this version of the brilliant and varied campaign had a clever and extremely modern PC twist which gained enormous media attention.

Finally the account moved to Abbott Mead Vickers and in 1999 they ventured off to Hawaii for 9 days to produce this extraordinary film, called "Surfer" which gained more awards in that year than any other TV ad – and in 2002 was voted by Channel 4 as the Best TV Ad of all time! Gracious.

I have to say that I first saw this at the cinema – and it blew me away.

7. UNISON

I suspect that most adpeople would agree that when required to work on a piece of business it really does help if you LIKE the product, or at the very least don't dislike it and this particularly applies to anything of a political nature, such as trade unions.

I'm afraid that I've always had rather bad experiences of trade unions whether directly or indirectly and I remember only too well the disgraceful confrontation between the NGA & SLADE back in the 80s when they battled the advertising agencies full on (and each other!) and didn't give a toss for people who they tried to pressgang into joining their industrial mafia, nor certainly the companies that employed them.

And my wife Sue once worked for a famous Trade Union leader (who I won't name to protect my well-being) who spent his year travelling the world at enormous expense, on behalf of his members of course, and had a huge house (nay, an estate) in Surrey. Hmm.

Nevertheless, their essential and courageous origins were admirable and today their existence is still extremely necessary – as long as they're managed by sane people which sadly some aren't.

So in 1993 we saw the merger of 3 large public sector acronyms (NALGO, NUPE & COHSE) to form 1 mega acronym, UNISON, absorbing over 1.3 million members.

And creating clout with a capital TU. But enough of that, this isn't the Soapbox page.

In 1995 the union spawned one of the finest TV commercials I've ever seen and was the most precise execution of a proposition imaginable.

Its simplicity is ridiculous and it clearly and light-heartedly manages to explain the serious ethos of a trade union…in just 30 seconds.

Brilliant.

8. HAMLET

It isn't much of a coincidence that this next campaign is yet another 'drink & tobacco' account as somehow they scream out for creative ingenuity – nor would it surprise you that it was produced by… Collett Dickenson Pearce.

And like so many great campaigns it changed the perception (and fortunes) of a product as before this epic series of ads appeared the humble Hamlet cigar was invariably wrapped up as a Christmas pressie for dad – together with Castellas and Manikins.

People generally either smoked cigarettes or 'proper' cigars and the likes of Hamlet were reserved for, let's say, inexpensive special occasions.

However, when the very first intriguing black & white ad launched back in 1966 it certainly got the nation giggling and talking – and when the public are talking about ads then you know they're special.

The numerous executions were delightfully simple in format and all evolved around the same story which inadvertently caused the cigar's manufacturers, Japan Tobacco, a few international problems.

As you will see (or perhaps even remember!) from the series of 30 second jobbies here, the 'hero' of the commercial is in fact a 'failure' and that is a proposition that our American cousins simply couldn't fathom.

How on Earth can a 'loser' sell a product?

Unfortunately the subtle British sense of silliness in these commercials never ventured across the pond and yet oddly a few years later Benny Hill took the US by storm. There's nowt so queer as...etc.

Another interesting factor was the perfect, relaxing addition of Johann Sebastian's 'Air on a G String' performed by Jacques Loussier and it became one of those very rare examples when the tale wagged the dog – and the music became generically known as the Hamlet Theme.

I'm sure that Bach would have turned in his grave but I hope he would have had some comfort knowing that his musical genius was delighting the public with this campaign for over 30 years.

As an aside, and nothing to do with genius, I mentioned Manikin cigars as one of Hamlet's main competitors - and they produced this rather average commercial in 1970. Adventurous at the time, but pretty pedestrian you may think?

However poor it was or however dated it now looks…Caroline Munro AND Eric Clapton!

Say no more.

9. CINZANO BIANCO

Yes I know, yet another booze account and yet another campaign from that hotbed of TV ingenuity, Collett Dickenson Pearce, and if the Americans were confused by the Hamlet ads the amusing, slapstick, simplicity of this Cinzano Bianco campaign must have had them retiring dementedly to their Kentucky farms.

In this campaign, unlike the Hamlet ads, the star of the show is not a loser but a smooth talking imbecile to boot in the shape of the underrated and sadly late Leonard Rossiter who eloquently extolled the virtues of "a subtle blend of herbs and wines" before throwing it over the ever-suffering Joan Collins.

And, as with most of the products listed here, the brand was virtually unknown at the time, had a mountain to climb in the vermouth market and was an extremely distant second to Martini which had dominated since the 1920s.

That all changed with the Collins/Rossiter ads that delighted British screens for over 5 years and in retrospect, other than another brilliantly successful TV campaign, hats off to Joan who at that time was already a legendary Hollywood sexpot (The Bitch, The Stud, Queen of Dynasty and dozens of American TV parts) yet was quite happy to be abused and ridiculed by the bumbling Rossiter character. Game girl!

10. NESCAFE GOLD BLEND and OXO

OK, I know I'm cheating and there's 2 campaigns here, but they both have something rather important in common so I've cheekily plonked them together.

One of the most powerful scenarios in TV advertising is created when the public have been sucked in to a 'must see' ongoing story, particularly one that is totally believable, one that they can relate to and one that provokes great interest – very much like a TV soap opera.

An extraordinary example was the Nescafe Gold Blend love story when one evening in 1987 a delicious Sharon Maughan tapped on the door of the flat upstairs to borrow some coffee from the unknown neighbour. The door was opened by a good looking chap, played by actor Anthony Head, and so began one of the most iconic campaigns in TV history – once voted Most Romantic Ad of All Time!

The media lapped it up (well, the red tops did) and the 'will they or won't they' intrigue ran for 12 episodes from 1987 to 1992 and, allegedly, almost 30 million Britons tuned in to watch the well-advertised steamy climax of 'The Kiss'.

And in 1983, another megathon of an advertising campaign began in the form of the OXO family with the lovely Lynda Bellingham as the mum, Michael Redfern as dad and 3 noisy kids - and the entire epic story was set in, naturally, the family kitchen / dining room at, naturally, dinner time.

All sounds a bit obvious and even tedious, but the nation warmed to them big time through thick and thin, probably because the nation could relate to them, and this early commercial even included a little controversial innuendo, rather ground-breaking at the time.

They were a normal, homely, likable family as we all aspired to be and the story ran for 42 commercials and for 16 years. We saw the kids growing up, we saw them argue, make up, laugh, and in the sad, final episode (again eagerly watched by half the nation) we saw them cry as they said goodbye to their home – and to us.

Not a dry eye in the house…or the audience.

Linda Bellingham, as we all know, went on to enjoy a busy career on stage and screen (and more recently on ITV's Loose Women) but poor old Michael Redfern fared less well as the OXO ads literally typecast him out of the business and he now comperes quiz nights near his home in Spain.

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From the 'never to be published' book, ADVERTISING AD-ONS (2004)