According to the Ads That Make News survey, the Smirnoff ad, created by J Walter Thompson, was the most written about in national broadsheets and tabloid newspapers, while the government's anti-smoking spot, created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and showing babies exhaling cigarette smoke, was joint number three.
Celebrities, usually at the top of the list, compiled monthly by Propeller and the press-cutting bureau Durrants, had to make do with the second position -- with Madonna and Missy Elliott's new advertising for the clothing company Gap garnering fewer articles than Smirnoff.
The Gap spot features a remix of Madonna's 1985 hit 'Into the Groove' with both artists ending with the tagline, "A New Groove, A New Jean". A limited-edition Madonna and Elliott CD remix is available exclusively at Gap stores and at .
It is the first time Madonna has endorsed a brand in almost 15 years when she was a spokeswoman for Pepsi. That time things did not turn out so well as the soft drinks firm dropped her after complaints about the mix of religious and sexual imagery in her videos, especially 'Like a Prayer'.
Also ranking high was the blatant sexism of EasyJet's "weapons of mass distraction" ad, which escaped a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority despite hundreds of complaints.
Thierry Henri's long-running ad for Renault, created by Publicis, came in at number five when he married his co-star in the "va va voom" ad. He drew with Buxton Mineral Water's "preserving Britain's purity" and Pepsi, which made the news by featuring a footballer who goes by the name of David Beckham.
Martin Loat, managing director of Propeller, said: "Sex, celebrity and controversy are usually the staple ingredients when an ad crosses over and becomes a story as much as a campaign. So it is interesting to see an ad campaign distinguish itself for its wholesomeness. Perhaps in this case the shock value came from an advertiser urging the public not to consume so much of its product."
Rounding out the top 10 were Orange's "learn" spots, starring Dylan the 10-year-old trainer; Vick & Bob's MFI ads, accredited with increasing profits by 12% at the retailer; and Denise Van Outen getting over-excited on a washing machine for Surf.
The results of the survey were as follows:
1 Smirnoff - "know when to stop"
2 Gap - Madonna/Missy Elliott
3= EasyJet - "weapons of mass distraction"
3= Dept of Health - Anti-smoking
5= Renault - "va va voom"
5= Pepsi - Beckham gladiator
5= Buxton Mineral Water -"preserving Britain's purity"
8= Orange - "learn"
8= MFI - Vic & Bob
8= Surf 99 - Denise Van Outen
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