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T
hinkbox, the marketing body
for commercial TV in the
UK, aired its first paid television
advertisement in 2009. ‘Head’, the
first of several spots to be produced
by the integrated creative agency
Red Brick Road, was a tribute to
much loved ads of the past, playing
on the idea that television creates
long-term memories. The advert
was a success, receiving critical
acclaim and awards from D&AD, the
BTAAs and the APA.
E n t e r H a r v e y
For its second spot, which hit the
UK’s television screens the following
Harvey the dog and friends demonstrate
the power of TV advertising
I n i t i a t i v e :
T h i n k b o x
t e l e v i s i o n
c a m p a i g n
M a r k e t :
U K
D a t e :
2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 4
D e v e l o p e d b y :
T h i n k b o x
T a r g e t
a u d i e n c e :
B 2 B a n d B 2 C
– m a r k e t e r s
a n d t h e w i d e r
m e d i a i n d u s t r y ,
t h e p u b l i c
t e l e v i s i o n
a u d i e n c e
O b j e c t i v e :
T o r e m i n d
a d v e r t i s e r s o f
t h e c o n t i n u i n g
p o w e r a n d
e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f
T V , t o p e r s u a d e
b r a n d s t o
i n c r e a s e t h e i r
i n v e s t m e n t s i n
t e l e v i s i o n
year, Thinkbox took a different
direction, one that was to mark the
start of a story and a new character
that would entertain the nation for
the years to follow. The spot, and the
two that were to follow, all feature
a similar concept; an advert-within-
an-advert is used to persuade
people to take a particular course of
action.
‘Dog’s Home’ introduces Harvey, a
slightly scruffy terrier that charms
a couple visiting a dog home in
order to adopt a new canine friend.
Harvey’s winning tactic is to show
the couple a TV ad, showcasing his
remarkable skills about the house,