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The ads, revealed to have been created by spin doctor Alastair Campbell, have been slammed by some as anti-Semitic and since been withdrawn by Labour.

One ad portrayed the Conservative leader Michael Howard as Shakespeare's Shylock or Dickens' Fagin. The other superimposes the faces of Howard and Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin on to flying pigs. The release of the posters coincided with Auschwitz memorial week, prompting allegations of anti-Semitism.

Durrants Media Monitoring calculated the advertising value of the national press publicity for the Labour posters in January to be the equivalent of over £290,000, making it a star performer for the cash-strapped Labour Party.

Dove came in a close second with its ads featuring "real women" with wrinkles and lines. This followed the highly successful original campaign that featured "curvy" women rather than "stick-thin" stereotypes. Dove has now been applauded for including a 96-year-old grandmother in its new "campaign for real beauty".

Madasafish broadband is third in January's Ads that Make News survey, after its high-profile ad featuring Harry Enfield berating Winston Churchill was banned. The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre judged references to Churchill such as "You porky Prime Minister" as offensive.

The Conservative Party is number four with its immigration ads that described the Labour party as "unbelievable". Sharon Osbourne as the new "face of Asda" brings the superstore into fifth place although she has yet to appear in an Asda spot. At six, British Gas also has a new face, replacing Ricky Tomlinson with actress Brenda Blethyn.

Lastminute.com is at seven in January's Ads that Make News survey following complaints about ads showing a model's legs, bottom and breasts. Complaints also brought Jamster in at eight owing to the Crazy Frog's "irritating" ringtone and appearance of amphibian genitalia, for which it escaped a ban by the watchdog.

Maybe a surprise that it is so far down the list after the controversy it whipped up is Volkswagen is at nine with the hoax suicide bomber viral.

The car manufacturer had threatened legal action against the creators of a hoax viral ad showing a suicide bomber blowing himself up in a Volkswagen Polo, with the slogan "Polo. Small but tough". However, creators of the spot, Lee and Dan, got off the hook with an apology.

At 10, Pepsi withdrew a surf-themed campaign, starring David Beckham, following the Asian tsunami disaster.

Martin Loat, director of Propeller Communications, said: "The Labour Party's proposed posters prompted an almighty row and acres of free publicity. Clearly, it is easier for a political party than a consumer brand to whip up such a storm.

"But this is a quintessential example of the Ads that Make News genre because the ad was withdrawn and never actually appeared on a paid-for media schedule. Yet the ad gained exposure in national newspapers at least 18 times in January, at an equivalent value of more than £290,000."

Top 10 Ads that Make News for January 2005

1 Labour - Proposed posters accused of anti-Semitism

2 Dove - "±±¾©Èü³µpk10 for real beauty" using a 96-year-old grandmother

3 Madasafish - Winston Churchill ads banned for potential to cause offence

4 Conservatives - Labelling Labour as "unbelievable"

5 Asda - Sharon Osbourne is its "new face"

6 British Gas - Brenda Blethyn is its "new face"

7 Lastminute.com - Complaints over body parts on show

8 Jamster - Crazy frog offends parents

9 Volkswagen - Suicide bomber in hoax Polo ad

10 Pepsi - Surf ads withdrawn following the Asian tsunami

The Ads that Make News survey, produced by Propeller Communications and Durrants Media Monitoring in association with Brand Republic, measures the volume of stories about individual advertising campaigns in the national press.

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