When I joined advertising several years ago, Hovis Bread was almost always mentioned as one of the classics. In fact, a 1973 commercial for Hovis (directed by Ridley Scott) is considered one of advertising’s all-time great ads. There were several charming ads for Hovis during the 1970s (developed by Collett Dickenson Pearce) which were simply gooseflesh stuff. Clarification: I did not join advertising in the ’70s. The opening music of the ads, Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony was so closely associated with the brand that FM stations in the UK get requests for ‘Hovis music’. Awesome.
Now to celebrate the brand’s 122-years of history, they have released 122-second commercial. The proposition is similar to several heritage brands who have witnessed history: we have been part of history. But what makes this ad totally riveting is the execution.
Could you take your eyes off the screen even for a second? I just loved the way they captured the changing times in a telegraphic manner, all in the space of a few seconds – for example, the growing presence of Indian immigrants in the UK during the 70s – established in a flash.
Agency: MCBD, London
Via: The Inspiration Room Daily
The MCBD creative director, Danny Brooke-Taylor, said the advert was intended to evoke Hovis’s “wholesome and natural” image and the “idyllic Britain we all remember or think we do”.
It sure does.
1 Comment
Amazingly well done. Such precision in every shot. The cast is impeccable as well.
At the risk of digressing, the new Bingo Hatke Jhatke ad, I think, is one example of really good casting. I loved every single one of the extras who got a little less than a second each.