Agent Provocateur's Kylie Minogue outing is crowned ultimate cinema ad

LONDON - Agent Provocateur's provocative 2001 cinema ad 'Proof', starring Kylie Minogue, has been crowned the ultimate cinema ad in a public vote.

The poll, which was launched by cinema advertising sales house Digital Cinema Media (DCM), gave voters a choice of ten ads that were chosen by a panel of experts.

Agent Provocateur beat off stiff competition from the likes of Guinness' 'Surfer', Diet Coke's 'Break' and Carling Black Label's 'Dambusters' to take the coveted title as the nation's favourite.

The iconic ad shows Kylie writhing around breathlessly on a red velvet rodeo bull to prove that Agent Provocateur is "the most erotic lingerie in the world".

At the end of the ad she challenges the men in the audience to stand up and be counted.

The ad was created specifically for cinema and makes the most of the medium with its lavish and expansive tone.

The witty punchline cleverly engages with the audience, and enhances the communal experience of going to the cinema.

Fleur Castell, marketing & research controller for Digital Cinema Media, said: "Cinema is about engaging and entertaining the audience, and this ad pulls off both elements perfectly in a fun and cheeky way.

"It's great to see the top ads are cinema-only campaigns, proving cinema ads really are the nation's favourite."

Voters were able to email comments about their chosen ad along with their vote. The winning ad attracted comments such as: "Kylie is incredibly sexy in the ad. Cinema is about escapism and aspiration, and the ad has both of these qualities. I hope it wins."

Others said: "Risque, clever, visually stunning -- massively impactful", and "It launched an entire brand into the stratosphere with relatively little high street presence and a miniscule overall marketing budget".

Steve Reeves, the ad's director, who currently works at Another Film Company said: "Creatives Mick Mahoney and Andy Amadeo came up with a spot that was not only specifically written for the cinema, but was also very very sexy and funny, a rare combination.

"They were great to work with, ensuring that we came away with a cinema ad that was as confident as the product".

The final Top Ten:

  1. Agent Provocateur 'Proof' (2001)
  2. The Orange Gold Spot (2008) 
  3. Maxell Tapes 'Break the Sound Barrier' (1982) 
  4. Dunlop Tyres 'Tested for the Unexpected' (1993)
  5. Ford Puma 'Bullitt'  (1997)
  6. Diet Coke 'Break'  (1994)
  7. Bacardi 'If'  (1991)
  8. Guinness 'Surfer'  (1999)
  9. Carling Black Label 'Dambusters'  (1990)
  10. Sony Bravia 'Balls' (2005)

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The poll comes after recent figures from the Cinema Advertising Association revealed cinema admissions bucked last year's media downturn with an increase of 1.1% year-on-year to 164.2m, driven by the industry's most successful summer since the 1960s, with James Bond's latest outing in 'Quantum of Solace' helping to pull in cinema goers.

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