The ad, created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, received 150 complaints from television viewers and was withdrawn and re-edited before being banned by the Independent Television Commission. It showed a man escaping from a building that was being demolished by a wrecking ball to prove that his deodorant was effective.
According to the Ads that Make News survey, carried out by the PR agency Propeller Communications and Durrants Media Monitoring, the ad was the most written about over the month, because of its parallels with the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
Martin Loat, director of Propeller Communications, said: "This is probably one example where all publicity is not good publicity. Given the editorial exposure for the Gillette Right Guard commercial revolved around claims that it played on images of the World Trade Center disaster, it surely did nothing to enhance the standing of the brand."
The Gillette spot beat the new anti-smoking push from the government, in which light or low-tar cigarettes are portrayed as being as safe as a crocodile or a great white shark. The campaign was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
Four ads came in equal third place, including the only appearance by a celebrity. Arsenal footballer Freddie Ljungberg appeared in the papers for work he did to promote Calvin Klein. The Sun reported that several Arsenal team mates, including star of Renault's long-running Clio ad Thierry Henry, mocked Ljungberg's appearance by staging a locker room fashion show complete with socks stuffed down their underpants.
Also in third spot were WCRS's 118 118 runners. However, the survey was completed before the controversy broke over whether or not it lifted the look from the British runner David Bedford. Stories over the demise of the Milk Tray Man -- greatly exaggerated, according to Cadbury -- also made it equal third on the list, along with the new ads for the Teacher Training Agency, created by McCann-Erickson Manchester, featuring people without heads going about their daily lives.
Appearing in the top 10, at number seven, was an ad that attracted the ire of the country's pigeon fanciers. The viral campaign, created by Ogilvy & Mather for Ford Sportka, showed a freshly washed car taking revenge on pigeon that intends to deposit an offering on its bonnet. Pigeon fanciers complained that losing a pigeon was almost like losing a member of the family.
Ads that Make News -- September 2003
1 Gillette Right Guard "9/11"
2 Anti-smoking "a nice name".
3= 118 118 "runners"
3= Milk Tray "all because the lady loves"
3= Calvin Klein "Freddie Ljungberg"
3= Teacher Recruitment "use your Head"
7= Ford Sportka "pigeon"
7= Refuge "domestic violence"
7= Jacobs "Wallace and Gromit"
7= John Smiths "Peter Kay"
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .