The 30 best ads from Campaign Brief’s 30 years. 1993: Retravision ‘The End Is Nigh’

Campaign Brief WA turns 30 this month, so over the thirty days of June we’re looking back and choosing the best ad done in each of our 30 years.

One of the constant excuses in Perth used to be that it’s a retail town, and that meant it was difficult if not impossible to do good work.

While it’s true Perth is retail driven (even our so-called ‘brand’ clients like HBF, RAC and Lotterywest have a retail imperative to their advertising), this TVC from MJB&B showed that you can still do something nice.

Created by Tom Martin and Steve Rowe, it featured a scruffy-looking ‘religious nut’ walking down the Hay Street Mall with ‘The End Is Nigh’ on the front of a sandwich board. On the back it said the Retravision Sale was ending soon.

In contrast to the endless shouty, as-many-words-as-you-can-fit-into 30-seconds SALE!!! commercials – then and now – it had no spoken dialogue; just a haunting soundtrack over the black & white vision. Cheap as chips to make and great cut-through.

As the late, great John Davis said when he picked it in Creative Circle, “The old argument that retail advertising can be as exciting as any other form is convincingly illustrated in this standout piece.”

It also won Best of Show at  the following year’s PADC Awards.

OK, perhaps not a classic but still pretty good for Perth (coz, you know, it’s a retail town!).

Honourable mention to a clever TVC about AIDS for the Health Department by Marketforce’s Roina Williams, Neil Weeks and Tim Haynes. The commercial, featuring a map of the world forming out of ‘blood’, informed on the dangers of unsafe sex when travelling overseas. A simple idea nicely produced.