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.
With 20 years of experience, Laura Rogers' work has been recognised by all the major awards shows, with more than 20 Cannes Lions, an array of pencils from both the One Show and D&AD, and an Emmy nomination.
Her career is marked by some incredible moments: like watching #WeThe15; her campaign for the International Paralympic Committee being presented to the United Nations; creating 80 ads in one go for Argos, and teaching people with breathing difficulties to sing in her Grand Prix-winning campaign for Philips, “Breathless Choir”.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Rogersnchampions inclusivity and women's advancement through SheTakesOver, an initiative spotlighting female directors, photographers, illustrators, and composers to rectify gender imbalances in the creative industry. Now in its fifth year, the initiative has made significant strides towards a more diverse and equitable creative landscape.
Rogers’ choices
Surreal focus groups are taken to the next level in this TV ad with an absurd and darkly comedic approach. Set in a meeting room, a panel of sharks enthusiastically review the taste of different humans they’ve sampled, one of whom had eaten a Snickers Peanut Butter Square before being bitten. The sharks unanimously agree that the Snickers-fed victim was the most delicious, much to the horror of the new participant about to be sampled. The ad blends sharp humour with subversive undertones, creating an oddly entertaining spot.
Agency: BBDO, New York Creative team: David Lubars, Peter Kain Client: Snickers Production company: O Positive Director: Jim Jenkins
Puma “After Hours Athlete” (2011)
The brief was to set Puma’s sports lifestyle brand apart in an ultra-competitive market by creating a new category and reigniting joy. So the largest group of unsponsored athletes were brought to the fore in the “After Hours Athlete”. The ad reminds us that we are all athletes, even if the only time we run is to catch a cab home and that staying out until 6am can be just as challenging as getting up at 6am.
Agency: Droga5, New York Creative team: Ted Royer, Kevin Brady, Tim Gordon Client: Puma Production company: Smuggler Director: Ringan Ledwidge
In introducing the new "unsend a text" feature for iOS, Leon the lizard is cast in the main role of the "dead lizard," while his entrusted guardian anxiously frets over the worst possible outcome. The fatal news is texted, but then, as if rising from the dead, Leon spins around. Happy days. The iMessage is quickly unsent, and the guardian’s career as the neighbourhood lizard-sitter is preserved for another day.
Agency: TBWA / Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles Creative team: Apple Client: Apple Production company: Biscuit Filmworks LA Director: Andreas Nilsson
WANT TO SEE MORE GREAT WORK? HEAD TO THE THINKBOX HUB
Thinkbox is the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, in all its forms. Its shareholders are Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media and UKTV. Thinkbox works with the marketing community with a single ambition: to help advertisers get the best out of today’s TV.
