High Five: Bas Korsten

There’s a reason why this one has been chosen by so many as one of the best ads ever made - it’s mesmerising. It’s such a simple premise (colour like no other) that’s brought to life in a beautiful - and massive - way. While the production was a huge ordeal, it’s been executed so well; the film feels fluent and effortless which is the beauty of it. Between the music, lighting, editing, acting of the frog jumping from the drain and the effects, they were able to bring everything together in such a beautifully orchestrated way. When I saw this for the first time, I was wracking my brain trying to imagine how they had sold this idea. How they were able to convince the client to do something like that, which, when presented as just the idea, you don’t have a lot to go on, makes it worthy of one of the top spots.

This 1968 ad was one of the ones that made me fall in love with advertising. Because this ad did something I hadn’t seen before - it played solely on suggestion. Instead of showing other kids who had fallen over, they showed one child with a very smug look on his face. It doesn’t even show the product. The best print ads are where the ‘big thinking’ happens in the audience’s head so they can finish the idea themselves which makes it so much more powerful...and engrained in your brain.

This is my favourite ‘funny’ campaign of all time. I remember being so jealous when this came out. It’s built on such a great insight and the execution is hilarious. I call it ‘being nonsensical with a straight face’, or in the words of the great George Costanza, ‘it’s not a lie, if you believe it’s the truth’. The series of spots - which show different regional sports across the world that don’t make any sense - make a very valid point: people just don’t care about local sports happening around the world, they care about sports that happen near them. 

Similar to Sony Bravia's 'Balls', it’s the simplicity of the idea in combination with the grandeur of the execution that makes this one stand out. Saatchi & Saatchi went all out in the execution, getting in references about all the ads we’d come to know and love: famous beer ads, perfume ads, insurance, jewellery and beverage spots - which we all know is hard to do given all of the restrictions. The greatest ad hack ever. Plus, what it did from a business perspective is unparalleled. It’s such a basic premise but it’s been brought to life in such an extravagant and powerful way to say: ‘every ad is a #TideAd’.

My final choice is a different type of project - a different type of inspiration. The previous examples are all ads, and this is a product that will really change people’s lives. If you see how much it has done for inclusive design, both for Unilever and other brands around the world, you realise it has been a catalyst for change. That’s why I want it in my top five, because the project inspired a multitude of brands to understand how through inclusive design, they can help create a fairer and more inclusive world for all.