Best Ads Of The Last 50 Years: "Don't Read The Independent".
Once upon a time, British newspapers ran risky advertising.
Last month, I shared the classic 1986 Guardian ad “Skinhead” and declared it the best journalism ad ever.
However! This week, Rich Wakefield jogged my memory with the below Independent spot which won a Gold Lion at Cannes in 1999. It’s at worst a very close 2nd to the Guardian commercial, maybe even better. They’re both very different, unexpected executions.
Also known as “Litany”. Whether you’ve seen it or not, just watch it. The copy, the visuals, it perfectly positioned the paper as “independent”. It made you want to read The Independent. Which is the fucking point of advertising; sell the fucking product. Ad agency: Lowe Howard-Spink.
The paper launched in 1986 with one of the best taglines ever. What smart use of the English language.
