3 Great Ads is a long-running Thinkbox and Campaign series. The idea is not only to explore some of our greatest ads in the company of people who know a thing or two about making them, but also - because of the proven link between creativity and effectiveness - to inspire the ad industry to even greater heights.
Hallbery is an ECD at Mother London. There aren’t too many of Mother London’s clients that Hallbery, one of its ECDs, hasn’t worked with but, in the last few years, you’d have found him working with IKEA, MoneySuperMarket, KFC and Gousto. Hallbery is interested in writing culturally impactful and famous work and when he’s not at Mother, you’ll find him writing and releasing electronic music from his basement.
Hallbery’s Choices
1. Tide “It’s a Tide ad” (2018)
During 2018’s Super Bowl, Saatchi & Saatchi and Tide ran a highly successful advertising campaign featuring David Harbour from Stranger Things. The campaign creatively parodied different ad genres including car, beer, perfume, insurance, razor and so on by revealing each one to be a Tide ad, highlighting the connection between clean clothes and the detergent. Through this ad, the brand switched the association from dirt to cleanliness, disconnecting it from the functional category of laundry detergents.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, New York Creative team: Javier Campopiano, Paul Bichler, Daniel Lobaton, Chad Baker Client: Procter & Gamble Production company: Rattling Stick Director: Traktor
2. Reebok “Belly’s gonna get ya” (2000)
In this 2000 Reebok ad, a jogger is shown trying to frantically outrun a beer belly which cunningly uses a number of shortcuts to keep up with him while a soundtrack of intense metal music plays out. The jogger ultimately outsmarts the belly and the camera finishes by focusing on the runner's Reebok trainers, which have "Lose the belly" printed on the sole. This spot won silver at the 2000 Cannes International Advertising Festival. It was voted 10th best ad of all time on the 2005 programme ITV's Best Ever Ads.
Agency: Lowe Lintas Creative team: Brian Turner, Micky Tudor Client: Reebok Production Company: Partizan Director: Traktor
3. Crest “Bulldozer” (2008)
Saatchi & Saatchi New York created TV ads for Crest's whitening toothpaste showcasing that you can get away with anything when you smile. Part of a bigger campaign, the TV spots depicted individuals using smiles to navigate difficult situations. In this one, a demolition worker informs children about a playground being replaced by a power plant, which finishes with the children finally smiling back at him. It won the Gold Film Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2008.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New York Creative team: Gerry Graf, Kerry Keenan, Alison Gragnano Client: Procter & Gamble Production Company: Station Film Director: Harold Einstein
