The BFI charts 100 years of TV ad history as it digitises classic spots for the public
The British Film Insititute (BFI), home to over 100,000 cinema and television ads, has put 300 of its archived ads up for digital display.
The BFI pulls 300 iconic ads out the archive to put on digital display
Classic vintage spots from brands such as Guinness, Cadbury’s, Shell, Heinz, Persil, Hovis, Kelloggs and Coca-Cola, will be available to the public for free online on BFI Player.
The BFI claims the collection is one of the largest in the world, spanning more than 100 years of on-screen advertising.
Last month, Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) enlisted the BFI to remaster 'Boy on the Bike' - the agency's work for Hovis, which was recently crowned was crowned the 'most iconic' UK ad of all time.
Following this, the BFI decided to work with regional and national archive partners across the UK, to digitalise and remaster 300 ads which are available for free on BFI Player.
The selection traces the history, overarching themes and development of the art of British screen advertising over 100 years.
Beginning at its formative years with the earliest ad hailing from 1898. It features a group of young girls boxing soap for the Vinolia Soap Company. It is one of the earliest films with a branded product at its centre, although it is unsure whether the soap manufacturer was involved in the promotion.
The digital archive highlights its newfound maturity with the rise of cinema in the 1930s. In a series of adverts, Lux toilet soap gave a 'close up to the stars,' with popular celebrities Margaret Lockwood and Patricia Roc sharing scenes from their latest Gainsborough melodramas while revealing the secret of their beautiful skin.
According to the ad, the soap is used, apparently, by 9 out of 10 film stars.
The selection also showcases the transformative effect of commercial television on the viewing experience.
Released in 1964, Tyne Tees TV led a marketing campaign of the 1960s that was both satire and sales pitch. It got the comedian Clive Dunn - the old school British 'mad man' - on board to advises on the do's and don'ts of selling time to advertisers.
The archive also features a number of famous faces facilitating one of the advertisers' most powerful weapons - a celebrity endorsement.
The 300 ads include appearances from Tony Hancock, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Sheila Sim, John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, Beryl Reid, Googie Withers, Geoff Hurst, George Best and Margaret Lockwood.
In one spot for Shell, the American musician Sammy Davis Jr. sings 'You’re Going Well on Shell' in a mini-musical sprint across London.
It also includes some ‘before they were famous’ appearances by Anna Karina, Michael Caine and Terry Thomas.
At the dawn of his career, in a 1959 spot for Watney's, a young Michael Caine drinks pale ale to the rowdy tune of 'One Man Went to Mow' while his Army chum prefers Watney's Brown.
Discussing the archive work, BFI National Archive curator Steve Foxon said: “There's an art to selling, as any ad man or woman will tell you. Britain's screen advertising has been a central part of the British film story since its earliest days, It found its feet in the cinema, transformed television and its ripples have even influenced Hollywood”
He added: “A perfect blend of nostalgia, salesmanship and craftsmanship, screen advertising at its best is incredibly potent, affecting our emotions as well as holding a mirror up to reflect society’s changing aspirations, values, fears and desires. Few films can capture all this in such a compact and expressive format.”