The ad, created by MCBD, has created a stir partly because of the big budget behind the 122-second spot but mostly because its evocation of Hovis' classic 1970s campaigns, which are among the most loved in British advertising history.
In the unlikely event you've not seen the spot, it starts in 1886, with our star, a young boy, picking up a loaf of Hovis.
He then runs home, but as he passes through the streets of his town, he passes through momentous events in British history -- two World Wars, the swinging 60s, the miners' strike and the millennium celebrations -- before arrive home in 2008 with his loaf of bread, as good and wholesome today as it was 122 years ago.
It ends with the line "as good today as it's always been", marking a new era for the Premier Foods brand.
Chris Hancox, director of marketing at Paramount Comedy and Thinkbox Academy member, said: "I picked Hovis because it is beautifully done with lots of emotion, pride and nostalgia. It is a brand that really does live on and on."
It was not just with Thinkbox judges that the ad went down well.
Jon Goldstone, marketing director at Hovis, said: "We have had nearly 1,000 letters and emails in from our consumers. It is an ad that could be running for a long time."
Other ads in the running were HSBC's 'Lumberjack' and Audi's 'grip'. The full shortlist can be seen at the .
Credits
- Client - Jon Goldstone, Premier Foods
- Ad agency - MCBD
- Creative team - Danny Hunt, Gavin Torrance
- Production company - Rattling Stick
- Director - Ringan Ledwidge
- Media agency - Starcom