Cadbury - Gorilla

To mark our 50th anniversary, we were incredibly proud to
present the first major retrospective of British television advertising
a spectacular celebration of five decades of craft, culture and
commercial creativity and also our first public facing initiative.
ADS OF THE YEARS, staged at Outernet London, brought together 68 iconic British Arrows Commercials
of the Year or Best Crafted Commercial, spanning from 1976 to today. The exhibition transformed the
UK’s most visited cultural attraction into an immersive tribute to the films that have shaped our screens
and our society.
Displayed across 7,000 metres of 16K screens in a four-storey, floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree environment,
we created themed sizzle films and beautiful moving monoliths to display the work. An opportunity for
visitors to experience the ambition and cultural resonance that have defined British advertising for half
a century.
Our journey began with classics such as Parker Pens’ Finishing School (1976), directed by Alan Parker
and starring Penelope Keith; Courage Best’s irreverent Gercha (1980), brought to life by Chas and Dave;
and LEGO’s Kipper (1981), memorably narrated by Tommy Cooper.
From there, we traced the evolution of a creative powerhouse: Levi’s Creek (1994), which propelled
Stiltskin to the top of the charts; Cadbury’s Phil Collins-soundtracked Gorilla (2008), a masterclass in joyful,
unexpected storytelling; and Nike’s Nothing Beats a Londoner (2019), a high-energy portrait of modern
Britain featuring icons from Giggs and Skepta to Harry Kane, Mo Farah and Dina Asher-Smith.
Taken together, these films form more than a reel of great ads. They offer a vivid, sometimes
mischievous, sometimes moving reflection of British life from beer-drinking fishermen and cartwheeling
dogs to drumming gorillas, bouncing balls, patient surfers and culture-shifting public awareness
campaigns that have tackled menstruation taboos and opened vital conversations around suicide.
We invited visitors to take part in that legacy by voting for their favourite advert of the past 50 years.
The winning film was awarded THE PEOPLE’S ARROW at the ceremony this evening, a democratic
tribute to the work that has truly stood the test of time.
This retrospective is not only a celebration of heritage, but a statement of intent. UK advertising
supports 1.7 million jobs and contributes £109 billion in indirect GVA to the wider economy. Identified
by Government as a key growth sector, it remains one of Britain’s most powerful creative exports,
second only to the US globally.
This exhibition has been nearly two years in the making, truly a labour of love, belief and persistence.
Executive Producer Hugh Ip steered the project from ambition to reality, introducing us to our creative
partners at Ink and Giants who in turn, reimagined how five decades of British advertising could live
on an immersive canvas, crafting the striking visual identity and bespoke imagery that binds the entire
experience together. Factory and SIREN brought the sonic dimension to life, shaping an audio landscape
that ensures every note, every beat and every moment resonates at scale.
It simply would not have happened without the extraordinary support and collaboration of the team
at Outernet London, in particular Jessica Dracup-Holland and Sam Webb, whose belief in the vision,
technical expertise and unwavering commitment have enabled us to showcase this work on a canvas
worthy of its legacy.