THE thought of a lad pushing bike up steep hill doesn’t sound like the start of a heartwarming, memorable advert for bread, but with a carefully selected picturesque cobbled street in Shaftsbury, the addition of a narrator telling the story in unique dialect and everything kneaded together with some Symphony No. 9, the result is a winning advert that’s still fondly remembered.
The Hovis advert works wonders in terms of pulling the strings of emotions: don’t you feel a sense of pity watching that lad pushing the bike with a basketful of bread up that hill? Don’t you feel like giving his employer a good telling-off and demand that he also employs a strapping young man to help the lad out?
The beautiful location of Shaftsbury draws us onto that cobbled street and before we know it, we’re going up the hill with the little lad. We stick with him as he drops-off the loaves and we subconsciously scream wooohooo whilst watching him freewheel down the hill on the bike. We lovingly smile when he arrives back at the bakery (in one piece) and his proud employer feeds him up.
The advert surely makes good viewing today as it did in 1973.
Check out my latest retro book, Section N Underpass. A fun and factual look back at entertainment, leisure and advertising from the 70s and 80s. For more info click on image below:
Such a classic ad X #anythinggoes
It really is and still fondly remembered. Thanks for taking a look and commenting 🙂