Celebrating 60 years of TV ads, an industry insider runs through her best ever "alternative" ad spots

This week marks 60 years since ITV launched in the UK; and as such, six decades since we were introduced to television advertising. The nostalgia over some of the most recognisable ads has made Anna Carpen, of 18 Feet & Rising pine for the alternatives, and here she gives us a run-down of her favoutrites outside of the conventional celebrations of the Bisto family, the Smash aliens and all their better known chums.

“Alternative advertising is like walking a tightrope. Balance is key. You don’t want to be so niche that the idea doesn’t do the job of selling. Equally, follow popular formula (as has become too popular lately) and it looks winning in the boardroom but washes out in the real world. Hungry as people are for new, it’s hard to get clients to buy into something different. After all, nobody likes change. Even the general public need a nudge sometimes. So we have to at least try and do something a bit offbeat, a bit left of field, else we’ll end up making the same as which is no good for anyone. Let’s take a look at some successful alternate approaches for inspiration.

“Let’s start with something that tried so hard to be normal, it reversed straight through mainstream and crashed into a river called Alternative. This ad is the kid at school who wanted to fit in so badly, they ended up sticking out even more. It’s straight outta Alabama; fronted by one of the towns beloved residents Sammy Stephens. Infomercial meets rap. Something about it works. It does something that large corporations struggle to do; it has soul, warmth and it’s so bad it’s good. Lets call it accidentally alternative.

“But, what do you do if you are a large corporation lacking that bit of charm? You could run a heart warming 90 second TV ad like all the other big players. Or, do like Coke in the 1980s: take your product and make it dance. A product idea for a brand can be more powerful that any other form of advertising when it’s done right. If you had a dancing Coke can when you were a kid you were the coolest kid on the block (you were probably lucky enough to have a Mr Frosty too.) Back then you could just hit play on your cassette player and it would throw shapes for hours. It was futuristic. A little robot in a coke can. The sunglasses are a nice touch too, just enough playfulness for it to feel human. A quick eBay search shows these little gems have been unearthed from attics and basements across the world. You can still pick up a working one for anything between £12 – £139. Pepsie has always stuck with the mainstream – whoever the hottest celebrity was you could be sure they were drinking PepsiI. From David Bowie to Cindy Crawford; Madonna to the Spice Girls.

“But what if you’re looking for a different kind of celebrity endorsement? In the 1960s you couldn’t get much more alternative than Salvador Dali. This is the guy who wouldn’t walk a dog down the streets of Paris; instead he opted for a giant anteater. This ad for Lanvin chocolate is bold, brave and beautiful.

“The thing I love about ads that are a bit “different” is that wonderful boldness they possess. This spot from Japan attacks your eyeballs and assaults your eardrums in one glorious 30 second hit. All in the name of pizza flavoured pretzels. Although, one wouldn’t necessarily consider this “alternative” if you actually lived in Japan.

“Fast forward to now. It’s even harder to do alternative when actually everyone seems to be doing it too. There are a few that stick out though. The Beck album; rather than running a NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC style compilation TV ad, Beck released the sheet music of the album to his fans; allowing them to create what they thought the songs would be like. You could be a kid on a recorder or Brian Eno in the sound studio – this was an idea that truly captured the public’s imagination and is a great example of alternative advertising.

“Another idea that uses the audience in a different way; Pay with a Tweet. This allowed you to spread your product message by rewarding users with a download. From an eBook, to a song, to a voucher; your tweets turned into modern day currency.

“The public has spoken, and it has spoken loudly. Consumers are paying anywhere from £3.99 in the app store for blanket ad blockers. Pausing the beginning of TV shows so they can fast forward through the breaks. And we all have the ability to mentally block ads because so often they look the same.

“There has never been more urgency for alternative advertising. For ideas that don’t fit into a traditional mould; for ideas that create their own category. Imagine a world where advertising entertained you as much as your favourite Netflix show. Only alternative advertising is built for that.”