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.
Egan skipped university and started her career as a design apprentice at Imaginate Creative in Birmingham. She then won a spot on the D&AD New Blood Academy which catapulted her into the ad industry as an art director. After a brief study at SCA (School of Commmunication Arts) on a D&AD-funded scholarship, she joined Creature where she now works as an associate creative director.
Egan was the brains behind the Moonpiglets, a new brand asset for Moonpig which has resulted in several TV campaigns and thousands of soft toys being sold nationwide; the “Dun Your Way” platform for Dunelm which was launched with a dystopian-style film; the viral campaign #TheGreatUnfollow, which urged people to unfollow @realDonaldTrump (before he was eventually de-platformed by Twitter and US voters); and most recently worked on the multi-award winning “Imagine” campaign for Child Poverty Action Group.
In addition to client work, she persuaded more than 200 businesses in the City of London to sign up to the real London Living Wage and spearheaded the “Get Home Safe Initiative”, which has so far resulted in more than 300 agencies updating their taxi policies.
Egan’s picks
1. St. Johns Ambulance “Helpless” (2012)
This poignant campaign for St John Ambulance, devised by BBH, emphasises the critical importance of first aid.
Highlighting the alarming statistic that as many lives are lost due to a lack of first aid as to cancer, its core message is a call to action for more individuals to learn essential first aid skills.
This moving film follows the journey of a father who survives cancer only to die from choking at a family gathering because nobody knew basic first aid techniques that could have saved his life. The accompanying soundtrack is a stirring piano/vocal rendition of I'm In Here by Sia.
The ad aired on ITV during Downton Abbey.
Agency: BBH Creative team: Dan Morris, Charlene Chandrasekaran, Matt Doman, Ian Heartfield Client: St John’s Ambulance Production company: Blink Director: Benito Montorio
2. Vim “Prison Cleaner” (2004)
In a suspenseful twist on the advertising trope of happy women enjoying household cleaning, Canadian agency Zig leaned into the insight that perhaps, in fact, people feel trapped by those chores.
In this spot, a mother and daughter play out a typical prison-visit movie-scene, separated by the glass screen between them. The emotion builds as the young girl asks when her mother will be free. The mother explains she has to get back and turns away…as the scene widens to show that she is simply behind a shower screen, cleaning a bath.
Competitor challenge to Vim, despite its loyal customer base, meant Unilever wanted this ad to establish the cream cleaner as the go-to solution for difficult cleaning tasks.
Within a week of airing, the spot generated a notable increase in sales and the momentum continued, allowing Vim to thrive even while the overall category declined. Zig was later bought by renowned agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
Agency: Zig Creative team: Elspeth Lynn, Lorraine Tao, Stephen Leps, Aaron Stockman Client: Unilever Production company: Reginald Pike Director: The Perlorian Brothers
3. B&Q “Flip” (2022)
B&Q helps as people’s worlds get turned upside down. That’s the story of “Flip”. Created in collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio and Pulse Films, it cleverly showcases how easily aspiring DIY enthusiasts can update their homes to stay in line with current trends and stages of life.
The campaign features a striking visual of a suburban house rotating on its axis, symbolising the swift pace of life changes.
As part of its broader “Change. Made Easier” initiative, B&Q emphasises the simplicity of home improvement, leveraging its network of stores and expanding home delivery service to establish itself as the ultimate destination for everything from paint cans to fully-fitted kitchens.
Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio Client: B&Q Production company: Pulse Films Director: Oscar Hudson
