3 great ads I had nothing to do with – #69 with Pablo’s Dan Watts

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.

Watts has a background spanning some of the great agency names of their times - CHI & Partners, Fallon London, Campbell Doyle Dye and 180 Amsterdam among them. Before joining Pablo in 2019, he was ECD at CP+B London where he helped reboot the agency.

Prior to that, Watts was head of creative at 4Creative where he led the creative and design department responsible for the culturally powerful brand and programme advertising for Channel 4 that included the rebranding of the channel’s idents and the launch of The Great British Bake Off.

Watts’s choices

1. Burberry “Open spaces”



Inspired by a Thomas Burberry quote “Inherent in every Burberry garment is freedom”, this spot is layered with the soundtrack Counting Atomic by Ryan Lott and moves Burberry from the streets of London to the countryside.

The ad interweaves fantasy and reality in a gravity-defying film as friends soar through forests and fields, coming together in the sky above a cliff edge.

Watts believes this spot is “such a beautiful exploration of freedom and creativity and how that binds everybody together.”

Creative agency: Riff Raff Films Creative team: Matthew Fone, Cathy Hood, Laura Duffy, Justin Brown Client: Burberry Production company: Riff Raff Films Director: Megaforce

2. Walmart  “Clown”



Showcased during the NFL Playoffs in 2010, this unsettling yet captivating Walmart clown ad stirred up online discussions following its broadcast. Comments ranged from “hilarious” to “creepy” and some wondered if such dark humour was the right approach for the retail group. In any instance, the blood curdling scream from the clown did grab attention and land a key message at the same time. 

Watts’s view: “A great example of how you can use 30 seconds to deliver a single-minded product benefit and be brutally funny.”

Creative agency: Publicis & Hal Riney Creative team: Roger Camp, Mark Sweeny Client: Walmart Production company: Directors Bureau Director: Mark Maguire

3. THINK! Road Safety “Lucky”



In this impactful 2006 TV ad for THINK!, we come across a lifeless girl on the roadside, likely a victim of a car accident. She discusses the probability of survival at different speeds. The camera zooms into her face as a surreal reversal of her injuries occurs, talking about the impact speed as she regains life and awareness. The narrative shifts to a black screen revealing statistics and a crucial message about the significance of driving at 30mph. The sequence concludes with the THINK! logo.

Two versions of this striking ad were created for either side of the TV watershed. Dan was impacted by the ad “which stops people in their tracks to pay attention.”

Creative agency: AMV BBDO Creative team: Paul Belford, Nigel Roberts Client: Department for Transport (Think!) Director: Walter Stern