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Archive for the ‘TV - Adverts’ Category

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SodaStream Returns!

Posted by Big Boo on July 16th, 2010

SodaStream Then and NowOne of the most familiar names in kitchen gadgetry, SodaStream, is set to return this summer. Actually, I don’t think it really ever went away, but with a new TV advert just appearing on our screens the name is set to become a household name once again.

It’s been around 20 years since SodaStream last advertised their range of fizzy drinks makers on television, and no expense has been spared on the new ad. Indeed it has an almost movie feel to it, starting with images of sad and dejected people whilst a voice over talks rather ambiguously about lost loves and things of that ilk.

The advert then changes to shots of people being happy because their love is returning, and it is revealed that this love is none other than the good old SodaStream machine!

That said, as you can see in the image the brand new SodaStream model looks rather more space age than the original yellow and white plastic affair that I remember having in our family kitchen.

The new machines certainly look the business, and one aspect they are being sold under is that they are greener than buying bottles of fizzy pop. After all, you just use tap water to make the drink and the gas cylinder is returnable when it has expired.

The thing that pleases me most though is that SodaStream have wisely decided to retain their old slogan in the new advert, so get ready to “get busy with the fizzy” once more!

Search for SodaStream items on Amazon.co.uk



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The Carling Black Label Cowboy Ad

Posted by Big Boo on June 21st, 2010

Carling Black Label Cowboy AdHave you ever remembered something from your childhood that when you mention it to other people they look at you strangely and think you’re mad, and that you must be making it up? Today’s post is a good example of this phenomenon.

Carling Black Label used to run a very successful campaign, spread across numerous adverts, which were based on the idea of some bloke doing something extremely well, and a couple of onlookers watching him and commenting “I bet he drinks Carling Black Label“. They had many great adverts using this theme, but the cowboy one was definitely my favourite.

It starts with a cowboy clutching a bag leaving a western saloon bar. A posse of riders appears and the cowboy runs away, but is lassoed by some of them. The cowboy continues to run, pulling those who lassoed him from their steeds, and dragging them along the ground as if they were being dragged along by a stagecoach.

We see the cowboy continue through rivers and desert before running off into the sunset, still pulling along the other men, before we hear the tag line and cut to a picture of a pint of Carling accompanied by a jingle.

Is that all?“, I hear you say. Well, this is where it gets clever. The next advert comes on, or so we think. It’s an advert for a compilation album of love songs, with two lovers walking through a beautiful landscaped garden. Next thing you know the cowboy, still lassoed, bursts through a hedge, followed by a horse jumping the hedge. The cowboy has apparently invaded the next advert!

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The Return of the Shake ‘N’ Vac Ad!

Posted by Big Boo on May 21st, 2010

jenny logan shake n vacIt’s not unusual for films and TV programmes to get remade years after they were first released, but it is a bit uncommon for television adverts to get remade, which is why I was surprised to hear that after 30 years Glade have decided to remake their old advert for Shake ‘N’ Vac!

What’s particularly interesting about this is that they’ve done the right thing and got Jenny Logan, the original actress from the ad, to come back and “do the Shake ‘n’ Vac” one more time. The new version of the advert sees Jenny dancing round with a new fancy pink hoover and some funky new moves, but it seems the soundtrack is just as it was before – well, you can’t improve on perfection can you!

One nice touch is that the revamped ad starts with a snippet of Jenny from the original ad, which then morphs into her as she is today, so you get a bit of a before and after effect! Check the new advert out below…



If seeing the advert again has got your feet tapping then you might also be interested to know that Glade, the makers of Shake ‘n’ Vac, are also running a competition in conjunction with The Mirror to win £1000. In keeping with the advert, all you have to do is upload a photograph or video of yourself doing the Shake ‘n’ Vac dance! You can enter the competition here.

And as if that isn’t enough to keep all you Shake ‘n’ Vac fans out there happy, I was also given the opportunity to ask the Shake ‘n’ Vac lady herself (her words, not mine!) a few questions about the adverts. Many thanks to Jenny for answering my questions, and you can see what she had to say by watching the short video below…



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Scotch Videotapes – Re-record Not Fade Away

Posted by Big Boo on April 14th, 2010

scotch videotape skeletonBack before recordable DVDs and Sky+ came along, if you wanted to record a TV programme to watch later you had to use a videotape. Actually, I’m sure that many people still do use videotapes, but I heartily recommend you get hold of Sky+ or some other hard disk recorder as it beats all that faffing about waiting for tapes to rewind.

With that unpaid for advert for Sky out of the way, today I’m remembering the TV ads for one particularly brand of blank videotape – Scotch. Scotch videotapes were often one of the more expensive blank tapes you could buy, but they were supposed to be of a higher quality, or at least that’s what the adverts told us.

For many years Scotch used an animated skeleton to extol the virtues of their videotapes, with probably the following ad being the one most people will remember:-



The bit in particular that (unsurprisingly) sticks in my mind is the repeating phrase “re-record not fade away”.

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Stocking Fillers - Suppliers to Father Christmas
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Bird’s Eye Potato Waffles

Posted by Big Boo on February 8th, 2010

potatio wafflesI picked up a box of Bird’s Eye Potato Waffles when doing the shopping the other day, partly because I hadn’t had any in ages, but mainly because they were on a special offer. A day or so later said box of Waffles was taken from the freezer to be cooked for dinner, and whilst waiting I was idly reading the packaging.

There was a little bit on there talking about some bloke called Colin who was the official Bird’s Eye potato guru (what a job title) who has apparently been making sure Bird’s Eye only pick the best potatoes so that Potato Waffles are as good now as they were when launched in 1981.

Suddenly my Eighties sense was tingling, and it made me realise I hadn’t written about a food related subject for a little while, hence the subject for today’s post.

Bird’s Eye Potato Waffles are basically mashed up potato moulded into a rectangular lattice shape. They’re the kind of food that could only be manufactured in a factory somewhere, as you’d never bother to even try and make anything similar from scratch, it just wouldn’t be worth the effort.

They’re tasty enough (especially if you cook them with a bit of cheese on top, that’s my tip) but to this day the thing that always pops straight into my head whenever I catch a glimpse of a Potato Waffle is the TV advert, in particular it’s jingle which gets lodged in your brain and refuses to budge.

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Cadbury Fudge

Posted by Big Boo on December 14th, 2009

cadbury fudgeThere are a number of classic chocolate bars aimed mainly at younger children (those of around primary school age) which have stood the test of time.

These are the bars that I’m sure you all remember loving as a child, but for some reason as an adult you find yourself ignoring them when you’re looking at the chocolate shelf in a newsagent or supermarket.

Milky Way, Chocolate Buttons and Smarties are three good examples (although poor old Smarties have been somewhat usurped by M&Ms now, and they’ve got rid of the old round tube with the plastic lid with a letter on it) but today’s post is about the Cadbury Fudge, or Finger of Fudge as I always believed it was called when I was little thanks to the TV advertising.

It’s a simple but effective sweet. A long thin log of fudge coated in Cadbury chocolate, it had a nice creamy taste and best of all wasn’t an expensive chocolate bar. The TV advert embedded below claimed the cost to be 10 pence, but I’m not sure what year this would have been. The good news is that the Finger of Fudge doesn’t appear to have raised much in price over the years either, as it still only costs 15 pence today. Indeed you can buy a box of 60 from A Quarter Of for less than a tenner!

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Get Yourself Seen!

Posted by Big Boo on December 11th, 2009

get yourself seenNow here’s another classic and much used public information film! The Get Yourself Seen campaign may have been created in the 1970’s (as the fashion and the presence of a Raleigh Chopper attest) but this ad must have been played many times during the 1980’s as it has been indelibly etched in my brain forever more.

The advert was aimed at cyclists young and old, telling them to take care when riding at night that they were as clearly visible as possible. I do cynically wonder though if perhaps the manufacturers of those highly reflective yellow and orange vests and bands were actually behind it in order to increase sales of something which can make you look a bit silly, let’s be honest.

What makes this particular ad so memorable was the song accompanying it, which was a very jolly little song informing you of the various ways you could improve your visibility. The afore mentioned yellow and orange vests were just one way. One lad in the film even goes as far as to wear what appears to be a jump suit made entirely out of tin foil. I think I’d rather wear the embarrassing vest thanks.

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The Green Cross Code

Posted by Big Boo on November 4th, 2009

green cross code manThere have been some great public information films over the years, and many of them were aimed at teaching young children about dangerous situations. Whether it be learning to swim, staying away from strangers or not messing about in electricity sub-stations, there was a short advertisement telling you to be good boys and girls.

There were also many ways in which the message could be put across, for example using cartoon characters such as the brilliant Charley Says adverts, a dramatisation of some dangerous scene, or the good old celebrity endorsement.

The Green Cross Code was the name given to the rules of crossing the road, and I believe the name is still in use here in the UK to this day, although I must admit to not having seen any evidence of this. The Green Cross Code can be distilled into three main actions – Stop, Look and Listen – although quite often Think got tacked on the end as well. All good advice and simple enough for kids to understand and stay safe on the roads.

Anyway, you all know how to cross the road safely I’m sure, but just in case here are a handful of my favourite examples of Green Cross Code safety films. This first one dates back to the late seventies, and I certainly remember it being shown when I was little. The celebrity of choice here is Alvin Stardust (thank God it wasn’t Gary Glitter, eh?) who lets two little girls know that they “must be out of their tiny minds” when they walk in front of a car. OK, he’s right, but all that glam rock gear doesn’t mean he has a right to go round speaking down to kids.



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