My Most Immortal Ad: Malcolm Poynton

“Watching the thread of My Most Immortal spots these past few months has been irresistible.

It makes you realise that, like Hollywood, our hits live on in people’s hearts and minds long after they’ve fulfilled the initial intention of a client. When we have a hit, it’s sure to be a part of the cultural zeitgeist and really make the brand shine: Levis, Nike, Sony, BA, Coca-Cola – all are great examples.

And in the choosing of just one from all those great hits our industry has had, I decided to filter my shortlist. As the world has shrunk, globally-relevant ads have become more important than ever. As media has proliferated, being bold has never been more crucial. And as attention spans have dwindled, captivating the audience proves more challenging than before.

So, while many would say it’s an obvious choice, for me, Apple’s '1984' has something unique that I keep coming back to.

In marketing terms, it’s the spark that ignited what has become today’s most valuable company. It’s the spot that defined for many consumers the company we know as Apple, long before they had even bought an Apple product. It no doubt served as inspiration for Apple’s talented tech pioneers, engineers and designers, not to mention more than a generation of creatives.

This spot also really kicked off the Super Bowl ad craze - a bit like John Lewis did for the Christmas blockbuster ad craze in the UK. If released today, I wouldn’t mind betting it could knock our very own Samsung ad off the top of the perch as the year’s most watched ad on YouTube.

That inspires me to keep striving for work that will top all that’s come before.”