We were treated to a line-up of truly great ads. Entertaining ads. We laughed, we cried, and some of us even sang along in the beautiful new Massey University Theatre, housed in the old Dominion Museum Building in Wellington. Being seated in a cinema was apt. Advertising has the power to connect on so many levels, and the very best ads are genuinely entertaining, worthy of the big screen.
The group of ads we watched had that in spades. John posed the question: what do the best ads have in common? His list nailed it:
Back in the day, creatives really had to work hard. Ad breaks were when you’d get up to make a cuppa or nip to the bathroom and take a break to tick off your to-do list from the show you’d scheduled your night around. To keep people in their seats, you had to make ads worth staying for. And they did.
Decade by Decade
1970s
Opening the metaphorical envelope, the first decade took us back to some iconic moments.
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Hugo and Holly brought animated magic from the house of none other than Hanna-Barbera into Kiwi living rooms – a rare treat on your family’s single TV channel. Much like KFC itself, the jingle stuck. Yours truly, Gen X, knew the chorus and sang along in the cinema. That, my friends, is cut-through and an investment from KFC that’s lasted decades from my peers.
The Great Crunchie Train Robbery actually won the decade. It was a great ad, with plenty of airtime from my memory. It sparked in me at the event how distinctly American it felt as kiwi made advertising, I suspect it was working to mirror the TV programmes we enjoyed at the time.
The 1980s brought us BASF’s Dear John cassette ad. Another Gen X singalong classic that created a cultural movement. When you were dumped by a partner or a job, you got a “Dear John” letter. I still remember all the words for that ad. True story.
Lion Red’s Red Blooded also earned a “foot stomping, good fun” special mention for its energy and irreverence.
Macca’s Kiwiburger (1995) leaned right into Kiwi identity, celebrating icons and culture. On that theme, L&P Stubbies pushed “superb” bad taste in the best way, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s hunted that ad down on YouTube.
This flowed beautifully into Speight’s “She’s a hard road finding the perfect woman”, a line I’ve quoted more than once in domestic situations. That, people, is endurance. The ad itself is charmingly kiwi bloke (it’s intended audience)., though would be viewed today as misogynistic. It was pure humour, with talking to its audience about its game, not to cause offence. Brands wouldn’t dream of making those statements in today's culture. What was John Mills saying about the fun moving out of advertising?
And then there’s Togs Togs Undies Undies - one of the ads that still makes my eyes water with laughter. It nailed a beautifully simple summer insight: the humble budgie smuggler, and the blurry line between “beach attire” and “definitely not appropriate.” It’s Tip Top at its best. For me, it’s one of the most funny and enduring ads of all time.
The decade wrapped with Toyota’s “Bugger”, which won the 1990s category. For the younger of Massey and Victoria marketing students in the crowd, it may have been their first time seeing it. For the rest of us, we can remember the shock and delight when that “almost swear word” hit NZ TV for the first time. It got a tonne of complaints and changed the game. Read on to find which ad got the MOST complaints of all time.
Mitre 10’s kids in a sandpit scored high on the cute scale, perfectly capturing our not-so-subtle rivalry with our cousins in the Western Island.
Nestlé Scorched Almonds (1993) brought out the seriously cute “awws” from attendees. Sweet on all counts, it showed a cute-as-a-button wee girl carefully wrapping each Scorched Almond for her family at Christmas, sneaking one for herself each time, only to find she’s one short for the whānau at the end.
Lotto’s I won't tell anyone, but there will be signs “Ride On” (1997) proved you can connect emotionally without dialogue. Telecom’s Father and Son (2005) took storytelling without words further, with beautiful photos of father and son across the years, spanning their lifetime together set to music - cue proper tears from the audience.
And of course, Air NZ’s body suits gave us a bit of eyebrow-raising entertainment. Shame the airline now saves its best creativity for safety videos that only flyers get to see. Does Air NZ even advertise anymore, or is eDM their only thing?
John noted that New Zealand advertising became much more risk-averse from the 2010s onwards. Brands grew scared of offending people, and fewer marketers were making it into CEO roles. And let’s face it - “risk” and “accountants” rarely belong in the same sentence.
Clients stopped briefing agencies to produce the next “Bugger.” Strong creative investment dwindled.
He challenged the crowd to think: how many of those classic ads would trigger complaints today? Loads.
Advertising Standards Authority CEO Hilary Souter was in attendance to share that the most complained about ad of all time was Hell Pizza’s condom promotion. Risqué to say the least. And compared to their more recent “Doobious” hydroponic billboard campaign? Let’s just say I can’t wait to hear what the 2025 complainers have to say about that one. I suspect it delivered as many smiles as it did letters of complaint. We can probably thank Toyota for shifting those boundaries.
Where was I? Ah yes - media.
Changes in media and viewing habits across the years has also influenced the decline in big, entertaining ads. The rise of social media, influencer marketing, and micro-media, leading to brands leaning more into today’s one-to-one messaging . Mass media moments - where everyone watched the same ad and talked about it the next day - have all but disappeared.
Fast forward to 2025 and, hilariously, we’re talking about Herpes again. (If you’re puzzled, here are my previous musings from the Wellington Marketing Association event.)
Next time you go to scroll on socials, stop yourself. Grab some popcorn, click on this link and prepare to be entertained by high-quality brands being brave.
Written By: Denelle Joyce, 29 Sep 2025