by Chris Celletti
As part of Ogilvy's 75th anniversary celebration, they've curated a collection of the most memorable, impactful, and meaningful campaigns throughout Ogilvy history. Here they are:
1950s
Guinness — "The Guinness Guide to Oysters" and "The Guinness Guide to Cheese"
Office: New York
Year: 1950s
"The Guinness Guide to Oysters" is the first advertisement that David Ogilvy did. It spawned a series including "Guinness's Guide to Cheese", as seen below.
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico — "Puerto Rico Tourism"
Office: New York
Year: 1950s
Beautiful images and sharp storytelling combine to bring San Juan, Puerto Rico to life in a classic tourism print advertisement.
Dove — "1/4 Moisturizing Cream"
Office: New York
Year: 1950s
Dove has been a client of Ogilvy's since the very beginning. In one of our early ads for them, we spotlighted Dove's differentiation from regular soap thanks to its cleansing and moisturizing cream.
Hathaway — "The Man in the Hathaway Shirt"
Office: New York
Year: 1951
A brilliant example of story appeal, the eyepatch demanded attention and drove impact.
Schweppes — "Commander Whitehead"
Office: New York
Year: 1952
Enlisting the president of Schweppes in the US presented the brand as one of sophistication and class.
British Travel Association — "Visit Britain"
Office: New York
Year: 1953
This ad encouraging travel to Britain focused on the ability to experience a lot while paying a little.
Marmite — "Sandwiches"
Office: UK
Year: 1954
Marmite invites people to create savory sandwiches with its "fascinating flavor".
Good Luck Margarine — "Eleanor Roosevelt"
Office: New York
Year: 1959
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt addresses America's ability to help the hungry in a spot for Good Luck Margarine.
Rolls Royce — "At 60 Miles an Hour"
Office: New York
Year: 1959
This ad highlights the attention to detail that creates the "comforts and graces" of the Rolls Royce — or as the ad touts, "the best car in the world."
1960s
Maxwell House Coffee — "Good to the Last Drop"
Office: New York
Year: 1960
Maxwell House highlights the product and invokes the sensory experience of enjoying it in an effective TV spot.
Zippo — "Amazing Story"
Office: New York
Year: 1960
These ads for Zippo stand out for their provocative headlines, amazing tales of Zippos that survived harsh episodes, and, of course, the brand's "fix it for free" offering.
UK Bananas – "Unzipp a Banana"
Office: UK
Year: 1960
A bold visual campaign celebrating the unique experience of opening a banana.
Egg Marketing Board — "Happiness is Egg Shaped"
Office: UK
Year: 1960s
In a classic TV spot, the Egg Marketing Board reminds you that happiness is egg-shaped.
1970s
Merrill Lynch — "Bullish"
Office: New York
Year: 1971
In a spot that's both minimalist and maximalist, Merrill Lynch explains why it's bullish on the future of America.
American Express — "Do You Know Me?"
Office: New York
Year: 1977
With some help from the Muppets, Jim Henson explains the benefits of having an American Express card.
Rado — "Watch"
Office: Hong Kong
Year: 1979
Rado was the first foreign brand to advertise on Chinese television; this print ad was part of that campaign.
Nationwide — "Road Trip"
Office: New York
Year: 1979
A newly married couple hits the road for their honeymoon, and Nationwide has them covered no matter what happens. This spot features the famous jingle that Ogilvy created in 1964 and endures to this day.
Palitoy — "Palitoy Star Wars Collection"
Office: UK
Year: 1979
Palitoy builds excitement around the latest line of toys from the culture sensation Star Wars.
1980s
Shell — "Shell Respond"
Office: Brazil
Year: 1982
A humorous campaign highlighting the importance of having a copy of the motorist's guide "Shell Respond" handy.
Life Savers — "Cowboy"
Office: Greece
Year: 1982
How did the Life Saver get its hole? A version of the tale that takes the shape of a classic Western in this ad from Ogilvy Greece.
Ad Council — "U.S. Census: We're Counting on You"
Office: New York
Year: 1982
Taking inspiration from a classic Coca-Cola ad, this Ad Council spot brings Americans together to urge people to fill out the 1980 U.S. Census.
Fresh Cream Cakes — "Naughty. But Nice"
Office: UK
Year: 1983
There's no reason to feel guilty about eating Fresh Cream Cakes. A fun TV spot featuring comedian Les Dawson.
Singha Beer — "Singha Beer"
Office: Thailand
Year: 1983
Singha Beer honors Thai history and culture in this classic spot.
Binaca — "Piano"
Office: Athens
Year: 1984
Binaca showcases the strength and durability of its array of toothbrushes by depicting them as piano keys.
TWA — "Leading the Way"
Office: New York
Year: 1985
A spot from TWA showcasing the many hard-working individuals who take extra steps to make your journey not just possible, but memorable.
Philips — "Definition"
Office: UK
Year: 1986
A stunning, high-concept cinematic spot for the Philips FST 2640.
Vodka Orloff — "Today and Tomorrow"
Office: Brazil
Year: 1987
This campaign gained fame in Brazil thanks to the memorable and provocative phrase, "I'm you, tomorrow."
American Express — "Portraits"
Office: New York
Year: 1987
In its "Membership has its privileges" era, American Express featured the elegant lifestyles of celebrities like Sophie Loren, Ray Charles, Luciano Pavarotti and John Cleese in visual ads.
Ryder — "We're There at Every Turn"
Office: New York
Year: 1987
Utilizing a powerful visual, Ryder showcases its trucks' ability to facilitate your move with ease.
Hershey's — "Holiday Bells"
Office: New York
Year: 1989
Hershey's iconic spot featuring its kisses doubling as holiday bells is still used during the Christmas season to this day.
1990s
Fundación Vida Silvestre — "Hands"
Office: Buenos Aires
Year: 1990
A mesmerizing visual spot that reminds us that the hand that harms is also the hand that can help.
Perrier — "Lion"
Office: Paris
Year: 1990
Visually ahead-of-its-time, this spot for Perrier tells a story of a thirsty woman and a thirsty lion battling head-to-head for refreshment.
American Express — "Superman"
Office: New York
Year: 1992
Superman and Jerry Seinfeld co-star in this spot that sees the comedian turn into the superhero when it's time to help Lois Lane check out at the grocery store.
Cadbury — "Cricket"
Office: India
Year: 1993
A memorable, iconic ad for not only the Cadbury brand, but all of Indian advertising.
Duracell — "The Puttermans - Barbecue"
Office: New York
Year: 1994
Meet the Puttermans. They're a normal suburban family enjoying typical family activities. The only difference — they're powered by Duracell.
IBM — "Killer App"
Office: New York
Year: 1997
In the early days of the internet, this spot showcased how IBM could help businesses achieve and scale what really mattered.
Volkswagen — "The Santana"
Office: Mainland China
Year: 1997
Volkswagen showcases how in the Santana, you can go just about anywhere without fear.
Fevikwik — "Fish"
Office: India
Year: 1998
A fisherman waits patiently and quietly, only to be felled by someone who has Fevikwik on their side.
Unilever Brazil — "Vinolia"
Office: Brazil
Year: 1999
Unilever tapped international model Gisele Bundchen to highlight its new Vinolia scented soap.
Clight Fruit Juice Powder — "Clight Fruit Juice Powder"
Office: Mexico
Year: 1999
To highlight its authentic flavors, Clight Fruit Juice Powder invoked the ideas of nature and freshness.
Qantas — "I Still Call Australia Home"
Office: Australia
Year: 1999
Qantas celebrates the places all around the globe that it can help you experience, all while remembering that home is where the heart is; set to a choir singing Peter Allen's titular song.
2000s
Fevicol — "Bus"
Office: India
Year: 2002
One of India's most revered ads, this spot goes to great lengths (or heights) to show that the strength of Fevicol is like nothing else.
IBM — "Prodigy"
Office: New York
Year: 2003
A litany of stars and experts like Muhammad Ali, Penny Marshall, Henry Louis Gates and more pass their knowledge to a young child prodigy in this spot for IBM's Linux server.
Motorola — "Moto V3 Razr Launch"
Office: New York
Year: 2004
This spot launching Motorola's V3 Razr utilizes exciting visuals to showcase the phone's slim, foldable design and the simplicity it offers.
Dove — "Evolution"
Office: New York
Year: 2004
One of the campaigns to truly go viral, Dove's "Evolution" brought the brand's Campaign for Real Beauty to the mainstream by showing how the media distorts our conception of beauty.
Kodak — "Gallery"
Office: New York
Year: 2005
Kodak celebrates the timelessness of a photo in a playful and emotional spot that takes place in a gallery.
American Express — "Kate Winslet"
Office: New York
Year: 2005
Kate Winslet features in this American Express spot, where the movie star takes us through the many dramatic stakes that her characters have faced.
Dove — "Sketches"
Office: Paris
Year: 2007
One of the most-viewed advertisements of all-time, "Sketches" proves how one insight can lead to a big idea that tells a compelling and culture-changing brand story.
Louis Vuitton — "Keith Richards"
Office: Paris
Year: 2007
In a campaign highlighting the iconic fashion brand's core values, famed photographer Annie Leibovitz photographed a number of luminaries including Keith Richards (below), Andre Agassi, and Catherine Deneuve.
2010s
Sport Club do Recife — "Immortal Fans"
Office: Brazil
Year: 2013
Ogilvy Brazil and Sport Club do Recife tapped into the passion of sports fandom to increase organ donations.
UN Women — "The Autocomplete Truth"
Office: Memac Ogilvy Dubai
Year: 2013
UN Women boldly shined a light on the persistent, widespread prevalence of sexism and discrimination against women by using genuine Google searches.
IBM — "Outdoor as Utility"
Office: Paris
Year: 2013
IBM is all about smart ideas, and together with Ogilvy Paris the brand proved it by using outdoor advertising in a simple yet groundbreaking way to show how cities could be smarter.
British Airways — "The Magic of Flying"
Office: Ogilvy UK
Year: 2014
British Airways' unique outdoor campaign reminding us that flying is magical.
MACMA — Manboobs
Office: DAVID Buenos Aires
Year: 2016
MACMA was able to raise awareness for self breast examinations while also taking a shot at the hypocrisy and sexism of social media censorship policies.
Swedish Tourism — "The Swedish Number"
Office: INGO Stockholm
Year: 2016
Sweden honored 250 years of free speech by inviting anyone in the world to talk to a random Swede.
Lucozade — "Give Me Strength"
Office: Johannesburg
Year: 2014
Whether its to get through a concert for your significant other, a conference call, or a kid's birthday party, these radio spots prove that Lucozade will get you through it.
Philips — "Breathless Choir"
Office: Ogilvy UK
Year: 2016
With the help of a world-renowned choirmaster and the Philips SimplyGo Mini Oxygen Concentrator, eighteen people with breathing conditions were taught to do something incredible: learn to sing.
Burger King — "Google Home of the Whopper"
Office: DAVID Miami
Year: 2017
The Whopper has so many fresh ingredients and taste qualifiers that the brand and DAVID Miami created the first ever ad that used a voice-activated assistant to extend a TV spot.
Burger King — "Burning Stores"
Office: DAVID Miami
Year: 2017
In a provocative print campaign, Burger King leaned into its flame-grilled bonafides in head-turning fashion.
Savlon — "Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks"
Office: Ogilvy India
Year: 2017
Savlon promoted health and hygiene by helping kids do what they love to do.
KFC — "Sad Man Meals"
Office: Johannesburg
Year: 2017
KFC created a set of humorous radio ads that let men know it's okay to be sad...but it's also okay to admit that the Double Down going away is the saddest thing of all.
LEGO — "Build the Future"
Office: Bangkok
Year: 2017
LEGO and Ogilvy Bangkok created a memorable visual campaign that shows the joy of building with LEGOs, and how it can inspire kids to go on to do great things.
Kingo — "Kingo"
Office: Bogotá
Year: 2018
With the help of Ogilvy Bogotá, Kingo brought affordable, on-demand solar energy to those who need it most.
Carling Black Label — "Soccer Songs for Change"
Office: Cape Town
Year: 2018
Carling Black Label provacatively took on the epidemic of alcohol and sports combining to contribute to abuse.
2020s
Burger King — "Stevenage Challenge"
Office: DAVID Madrid
Year: 2021
Burger King helped raise the profile of little-known Stevenage FC by incentivizing gamers to sign gloabl stars to the team in FIFA 2020.
Burger King — "Moldy Whopper"
Office: DAVID Miami and INGO Stockholm
Year: 2021
Burger King highlighted their use of all-natural ingredients with a memorable and surprising visual that broke the norms of traditional advertising.
Grupo Estrategico PAE — "Morning After island"
Office: Honduras
Year: 2021
To overturn a harmful law, GePAE started by providing women with safe care in international waters.
Telenor Pakistan — "Naming the Invisible by Digital Birth Registration"
Office: Pakistan
Year: 2021
Telenor helped millions in rural areas register for birth certificates with ease.
Cadbury — "Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad"
Office: India
Year: 2022
Cadbury used AI to make the biggest star in Bollywood the spokesperson for thousands of local shops across India.
Dove — "#TurnYourBack"
Office: Ogilvy UK and DAVID Madrid
Year: 2023
To fight harmful beauty standards, Dove invited influencers to turn their back on TikTok's bold glamour filter.
Chris Celletti is the Global Editor for Ogilvy and is based in New York. He joined the agency in 2012.
