Adverts H-L
Halifax - 1991
Halifax - 1992
Halifax - 1997
Halifax - 2001
Notorious for the number of times they won the 'Worst Ad Award' on this site at the time, in the early 2000s Halifax moved to a Marmite style of advertising featuring staff of bank branches covering pop songs. The most famous of them probably being Howard, although others would appear too. Here Yvonne McBride features in a cover of Livin La Vida Loca.
Hammerite - 1992
Harp (Dog and Ball) - 1989
Harp (Gangmember) - 1990
Harp (Dating) - 1990
Harp (Infidelity) - 1991
Harp (Haircut) - 1992
Heat Electric (Creature Comforts) - 1990
One of the famous 'Creature Comforts' shorts from 1990, featuring Frank the Tortoise. Keen to find a new way to promote electric heating in the early 90s, the electricity board had turned to Nick Park of Aardman. Park had developed the short film 'Creature Comforts' earlier as part of a Channel 4 series, which had gone on to win an Academy Award. The Heat Electric advert commission took the concept of this, namely off-the-cuff-sounding voxpops set to claymation animals, and adapted this to promote the heating. The Creature Comforts campaign was fondly remembered for many years, with the idea being turned into a full series in 2003.
Heineken - 1990
Heineken - 1991
Heineken - 1992
Heineken (V2) - 1992
The follow on advert to the first 1992 ad and suddenly blues man is getting signed up for a lucrative record contract. Was it always intended to be produced, or had some advertising executives suddenly realised having their previous ad run with the message 'drink Heineken and your life will fall apart in an instant' mightn't have been the best marketing angle in the world?
Heineken - 1999
Heineken - 2001
Heineken (Part 2) - 2001
Heineken (Part 4) - 2001
Heinz Baked Beans - 1986
An old advert for Heinz Baked Beans with the famous 'Beanz Meanz Heinz' slogan. This slogan disappeared from the Heinz ads during the 90s. Despite that, it was revived for a marketing campaign by Heinz asking people to text them to vote whether they should keep the slogan they'd already quietly dropped years earlier. The eventual outcome of this was that the beans were renamed Heinz Beanz on a permanent basis in 2008.
Heinz Baked Beans - 1989
Hellmann's Mayonnaise - 1999
Holsten Pils - 1988
Holsten Pils - 1991
Holsten Pils - 1992
Homepride - 1991
Homepride - 1996
Honda (Change Something) - 2005
Honey Nut Loops - 1991
Hovis - 2004
HBSC - 2003
IBA (Yearbook) - 1988
In the closing days of 1987, a young Jonathan Ross promotes the IBA Radio and Television Yearbook for 1988. The IBA were essentially the independent television and radio broadcaster throughout the 70s and 80s holding ultimate responsibility for the entire sector which they would then contract out further to the ITV companies.
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light - 1996
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - 1999
Ikea (Survey) - 1997
Imperial Leather - 1994
Irn Bru - 1991
Irn Bru - 2002
ITV Digital (Al and Monkey - Christmas) - 2001
With subscriptions to the On Digital service not taking off as hoped, the service was rebranded as ITV Digital in 2001 with the hope of the stronger 'ITV' brand giving it a boost. At the same time a famous advertising double act in the form of dimwitted Al (played by Johnny Vegas) and the knitted puppet Monkey (voiced by Ben Miller) were introduced, created by advertising agency Mother. Despite the characters being popular and well remembered, they were not enough to reverse the fortunes of the ITV Digital service, with it collapsing into administration in 2002. Here a Christmas special of one of the many spots produced during the shortlived campaign, where Al has come up with some brilliant ideas in the middle of the night.
ITV Digital (Al and Monkey - ITV Active) - 2001
Jaffa Cakes - 1983
John Smiths - 1997
John Smiths - 1999
John Smiths - 2004
John West Tuna - 1998
Kaliber - 1990
Kelloggs - 2000
Kentucky Fried Chicken - 1991
Kentucky Fried Chicken - 1992
Kia Ora - 1987
Kitekat - 1993
Kitekat - 1998
Kit Kat - 1986
Kit Kat - 1994
Kit Kat - 1997
KP Honey Roasted Nuts - 1987
Lemsip - 1992
Lenor - 1992
The Lion King - 1995
Liquorice Allsorts - 1991
Bassetts Jelly Babies - 2003
Listerine - 1991
Little Chef - 1995
Better times for the Little Chef chain in the mid-90s, as it was still a well known force in the service station market. Via various buyouts and mergers, the chain grew throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, even ending up a part of the Granada empire in the late 90s. However the 2000s were less kind. With the chain failing to modernise and losing the interest of their family audience, store numbers contracted and the group fell into administration more than once. Even a last ditch attempt to revive affairs with Heston Blumenthal wasn't enough, with the last remnants of the original chain disappearing in 2018.
Lloyds Bank - 1993
Lloyds Bank - 1994
The Lightning Loot - Another Tales of the Black Horse ad. A giant wants to buy a new cart from the local salesman, but is a little short on funds at the moment. Never fear, as the nearby Lloyds Bank branch can approve a personal loan on the spot. They apparently don't even mind if you demolish the branch in the process of applying, although I remain less convinced about this detail.
Lloyds Bank - 1995
Lloyds Bank - 1996
Lloyds TSB - 2000
An extended ad marking the dawn of the new millennium from Lloyds TSB, as it was then known. After thanking all of their staff and their families for all their hard work over the previous year with behind the scenes filming footage from their latest commercial, it then launches into the new commercial itself. With the song 'What Can I Do' from The Coors providing the backing.
Lloyds Bank - 2016
Initially after the demerger of Lloyds TSB, the new bank of the Black Horse got the short end of the stick advertising-wise. Whilst TSB got beautiful artistic animation with Patrick Stewart narrating, Lloyds plumped for a series of less than inspired slideshow-style ads. In 2015 however to celebrate their 250th anniversary, the bank saw a return to form with the quality of its advertising. A long and heavily artistic trailer featuring black horses throughout the ages was put together, set to the song Wings by Birdy. The ad was used throughout 2015 and into 2016 for their birthday year in long form, then briefly disappeared for a new campaign before reappearing in a shorter re-edited form later in 2016.