Celebrities are a product of the public’s making and correspondingly also capture their imagination. It’s little wonder that advertisers have been keen to harness their power in an attempt to improve their businesses, reputations and profits.
As part of Campaign‘s 50th anniversary, we asked Hamish Pringle, the author of Celebrity Sells, and Roger Ingham, from Data Alive Ltd and an IPA research consultant, to draw up a definitive list of the most effective use of celebrities in UK ads of all time. Here’s numbers 50 to 40:
40 – Domino’s Pizza, The Simpsons
2002, IPA Silver. Arena Media
Domino’s became brand leaders in the pizza delivery market on a significantly smaller spend than Pizza Hut.
41 – One2One, John McCarthy, Kate Moss, and Ian Wright
1998, IPA Silver, BBH
An extra £199.3m revenue could be attributed to £36.7m adspend.
42 – Cadbury’s, Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves
1994, IPA Silver, BBH
Boost Advertising is estimated to have lifted sales by 55% over 3 years.
43 – Oxo, Mary Holland, then Lynda Bellingham
1992, IPA Silver, JWT
Evolving campaign over 40-plus years made celebrities of its leading actors.
44 – Croft Original, Jeeves & Wooster
1990, IPA Silver, Y&R London
1977-81 advanced from being a small brand of limited appeal to be the second largest in the Spanish sherry market. During the 1980s, it was the only brand to increase its market share substantially.
45 – Alliance & Leicester, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie
1992, IPA Silver, adam&eveDDB
The campaign generated £656m in short term sales and £554 million long term, making a total of £1,210m.
46 – Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Bob Carolgees
1984, IPA Silver, adam&eveDDB
Campaign successfully broadened appeal, introduced new users, and widened usage of the product, without devaluing the brand amongst core buyers.
47 – Whitegates, Raymond Baxter
1980, IPA Silver TBWA\Manchester
Two years after the launch Whitegates Estate Agency was the biggest domestic estate agency in Yorkshire with 15% of the market.
48 – The Mortgage Corporation, Barry Norman and John Lohr
1988, IPA Silver, adam&eveDDB
The business target of £0.75bn in two years had already been exceeded by the end of 1987.
49 – Coors Light, Jean Claude Van Damme
2016, IPA Bronze, VCCP, Zenith
The campaign delivered an estimated net profit return of £4.13 for every £1 invested
50 – Santander, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Rory McIlroy, and Jessica Ennis-Hill
2016, IPA Bronze, The Engine Group
The estimated net profit return from the activity was £2.22 for every £1 invested between March 2012 and March 2016.
