#you ain't seen nothing' yet

[squideo]

Advert Alchemy: Thinkbox’s Trick

In this series, Squideo has examined the best ways to turn advertising content into gold. Now that we’ve broken down the eight key ingredients, it’s time to dive deep into some examples of stellar advertising. This week, the advert in question was picked by Squideo’s Video Producer, Lesley Ovington.

When asked why this Thinkbox advert had become her favourite, Lesley said: “I love the entire series with Harvey because it’s so funny. I also had a Jack Russell Terrier growing up, and these adverts always reminded me of him. The entire series is great but the first one, Every Home Needs a Harvey, remains the best.”

101 Thinkbox

Thinkbox is unlike other companies analysed in this series, as it’s a marketing body for commercial television in the United Kingdom. Since 2005, Thinkbox has existed to manage the advertising for British TV channels and help businesses marketing on these networks meet their marketing objectives.

It’s shareholders are four major UK television networks: Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media and UKTV. As the trade body for these hugely popular networks, Thinkbox has needed to think outside the box when enticing businesses to advertise. All of these channels have hugely successful shows linked to them, and the advertising produced by Thinkbox had to match the creative energy of its shareholders.

Raining Cats and Thinkbox

Made with Red Brick Road, the advertising agency behind the iconic ‘Every Little Helps’ Tesco slogan, Thinkbox aired its Every Home Needs a Harvey advert in 2010 – five years after the trade body was created and was still relatively unknown to the general public. Every Home Needs a Harvey was only their second television advert ever; the first also made by Red Brick Road. According to the agency, the brief from Thinkbox was to educate media planners and marketing directors about the power of TV advertising.

“‘Harvey’ was born – a resourceful, talented dog, who uses TV to tell stories and to persuade. His first TV outing, created by us in 2010, was voted Ad of the Year by ITV1 viewers. TV ad revenues reached a record £5bn in 2014, continuing 5 years of successive growth.”

Television has seen a lot of competition in recent years as an advertising destination, especially as more viewers move away from television to advert-free streaming platforms. Comparatively cheaper adverts can also be run on social media, with algorithms used to ensure it ends up in front of the ideal demographic for your product. As Red Brick Road proves, however, revenue can still be generated from television adverts. Businesses invested £1.2 billion GBP in television advertising in 2021, a 42% increase in spending compared to 2020. With the cost-of-living crisis forcing consumers to unsubscribe from costly streaming services, this revenue may grow further as viewers return to public networks like Channel 4 and ITV.

Thinkbox & Me

ITV1 viewers named Every Home Needs a Harvey Ad of the Year in 2010, and Red Brick Road went on to produce two additional Harvey adverts for Thinkbox between 2010 and 2014. The advert was clearly popular when it aired, but that was thirteen years ago. What was it about this advert that stuck in the memories of so many people?

Super Sell

Show don’t tell. That’s what Thinkbox accomplished by running Every Home Needs a Harvey. What better way to demonstrate the power of advertising than to create an advert about advertising. In the advert, Harvey presents a video to his potential adopters which sells the idea of choosing him amongst the line up of rescue dogs. The other dogs look cute, but the video shows everything else Harvey can offer.

To marketers watching the advert, it also showed what television marketing still had to offer. Times have changed, and mass public adverts are no longer constrained to intermission breaks, newspapers and billboards. As we explored in Advert Alchemy: The Location, modern marketers have an overwhelming choice of advertising destinations from social media to video games to eggs (that’s not a typo, CBS put adverts on eggs in 2006, go read the blog if you haven’t already). But television adverts haven’t been chased off the stage, advertisers just need to be more creative to attract attention away from phone screens.

Heavenly Harvey

The star of the advert, Harvey, was played by Sykes, a dog actor who appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Young Victoria and Doctor Who, as well as other notable films and television shows. In the year of his debut advert, he also acted in a John Smith’s Brewery advert alongside Peter Kay.

In the wake of the advert, Sykes’ Facebook page had 11,600 friends and he was getting offers to open pet shops around the country. Not bad for a rescue dog. He eventually retired in 2016 after going deaf, ending Thinkbox’s Harvey adverts in the process. Because who could follow such a good boy?

Monumental Music

Set to the 1974 song You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet by Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the audience – like Harvey’s potential adopters – are quickly hooked into watching the advert. Like Cadbury’s Gorilla advert, the choice of such a popular song cannot be underestimated in the success of this advert.

The song peaked at number 2 in the UK singles charts the year of its release, beaten to the top by a Christmas song (Lonely This Christmas, Mud), which surprised the band who had been reluctant to release the song. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet was introduced to a new generation in the mid-2000s thanks to one of Thinkbox’s shareholders: ITV. The network used the song for several years during its coverage of Formula One grand prix races, which reignited sales of this insanely catchy single thirty years after its release.

Content Worth Gold

What do you think? What made Thinkbox’s Every Home Needs a Harvey advert so successful? Watch the full advert below and let us know in the comments.

[13eyond13]

Ever just stop and think about anime!Matt for a sec. Like what even was that lol. I don't think he is ever officially introduced as a character, nor his presence ever explained. His name is not even mentioned by anybody until he's already dead, and he doesn't even get to do any of the handful of things he did in the manga onscreen to help out. From what I remember he literally just sits by Mello silently playing a video game, drives a car dramatically for a few seconds, then promptly gets turned into swiss cheese and dies in a completely slapstick Looney Tunes way. Absolute icon of a guy tbh

[freshmilk-00]

I had the great opportunity to work on @triviasfolly 's cover for her fic "Baby You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" this fic has always been one of my pick me up once things go awry 🤤 makes it even better that it updates during my pay day HAHAHA

Link to fic below!!!

[liyazaki]

sam x taking care of bae

GAP THE SERIES | EP. 4 [2022-2023]

[barbagallo-raceway]

Apparently, Lando Norris is with Martin Garrix on a boat somewhere on the Amsterdam canals, celebrating Kingsday and like- Godspeed, buddy, you're about you to see things you've never seen before.

[fatmagic]

[gilliebee]

these fucking losers had better win the 🏆 for jack I am so fucking serious this is your last chance 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

[plusultraetc]

Just learned how to add a read more link on ao3 and it is so over for my end notes

[notitlemp3]

my review of the fontaine archon quest act v:

i thought the sumeru story was sad. I THOUGHT THE SUMERU STORY WAS SAD

[rayan12sworld]

💜🧡Baby, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

By:TriviasFolly

Summary:

For thirteen years, Wei Wuxian had been cautious. He hadn't done anything that could risk his new identify as Mo Xuanyu. He'd distanced himself from anything that had to do with the Clans he grew up with. Only for one coworker's sick kid to cause his past to come hurtling back at him.

His past, of course, is named Lan Wangji. And this time, he won't let Wei Wuxian go.

Chapter:19/?

Words:111,721

Status:ongoing

Tumbler :@triviasfolly

Drunk lan jingyi....so cute 😭😭

“So confusing,” Lan Jingyi muttered. His eyes following Wei Wuxian in a way Lan Wangji wasn’t particularly fond of. “Confusing?” Lan Wangji prodded.  “He’s so,” Lan Jingyi flushed red. “Pretty.”  “Pretty,” Lan Wangji’s teeth began to itch.  “Like a mom.”  ~~~

Nice,” Lan Sizhui yawned from where he was nestled against Wei Wuxian’s side.  “Mn,” Lan Jingyi yawned against Lan Wangji’s chest. “Like a real family.”  Lan Wangji nearly jolted as the words pulled a pleased pur from Wei Wuxian’s chest. He smiled as he caught a hint of red in Wei Wuxian’s face before it was nuzzling into Lan Wangji’s neck. The boys were out before the halfway point of the movie, victims to the nest. Lan Wangji wasn’t sure either of them ever remembered being in one.  It was amazing how Wei Wuxian could fix things Lan Wangji didn’t even realize were broken. Lan Wangji kept his words soft as he murmured them into the crown of Wei Wuxian’s head.  I love you.

~~~

It was Lan Xichen’s time to growl. “If you wish to challenge-” “Maybe I will,” Lan Wangji hissed through his teeth. It earned him the satisfaction of seeing Lan Xichen’s eyes widen in surprise. “Because I know I would have the backing, because of my mate. Something you’d know if you looked past his skirt. Instead, you’ve no doubt been arming your friends with the knowledge you find my mate a slut.”  “I would neve-”  “Do not lie to me,” Lan Wangji cut him off. The words were falling from his mouth in a torrent, years of remaining silent rushing from his lips. “It is not the first time you have confided in them, or did you think I do not know the rumors?”  “I don’t know wh-”  “The only person who I told I loved Wei Wuxian was you,” Lan Wangji barreled over him. “No one saw me leave with him, no one else knew I’d mated him. You were the only one I trusted.” The words made Lan Xichen flinch, as if Lan Wangji had slapped him in the face. “I put up with the rumors back then, but this time your words do not just affect me. They affect my mate and my son.”  “Sizhui-”  “Loves him,” Lan Wangji didn’t care what protest his brother would supply. “Sizhui reached out and connected with him on his own. Now, SIzhui is trying to fight the rumors that call the man he calls mama every omega insult under the sun.” He took a breath to level a glare at his brother. “My son, who I must remind you is an omega.” The first flash of shame went across Lan Xichen’s face. “Think about that the next time you disparage my mate and throw the word omega slut around.”  Without waiting for his brother’s reply. Lan Wangji marched out. ~~~good , lan xichen needed it, does he have to disappoint lan wangji like this 😒😒

Lan furen ,” Lan Wangji smeared the title across Wei Wuxian’s neck along with blood. The buttons of his shirt popped and skittered across the floor as Lan Zhan tore it open. The golden eyes burned as he peered up at Wei Wuxian. “ Furen .” “Furen,” Wei Wuxian repeated. He gasped as Lan Wangji decided licking wasn’t enough, his teeth sinking. “You like that?” He tried to tease, but he was too off-kilter for it to have his usual teasing oomph. The rumbling purr from Lan Wangji was more than enough answer. “Here I thought being your little wife was enough.” “Never enough,” The smallest furrow formed in Lan Wangji’s brow. “O-” The word was knocked from Wei Wuxian’s lips as his back hit the wall. “Oh?” “You are mine,” Lan Wangji’s eyes smoldered . “Until the whole world knows, I will never be happy.”

~~

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji soothed him with a kiss. “He made you furen.” “I was there,” Wei Wuxian huffed. “If I fuck up one thing he’s going to have my head.” Ge, why does mama live away from everyone else? It just happens sometimes, A-Zhan. The important thing is we can still see her right? And bring her flowers! The memories hit Lan Wangji like a freight truck. Fear seeped in as cold as the snow he remembered seeping in through the knees of his pants. How could he forget the only Lan Furen he and his brother knew? He felt his jaw tighten. Was that his brother’s play? Make it seem like he was accepting Wei Wuxian only to write him up for something minor and have him exiled? “I’m glad we have an understanding,” Wei Wuxian sighed, having misread Lan Wangji’s internal monologue. “We’ll just table all of it.” “No,” Lan Wangji felt a fire light bright within. If Lan Xichen wanted to play this game, he’d picked the wrong opponent. Did he really think Lan Wangji would sit back and watch him give Wei Wuxian the same treatment their mother did? Maybe if it was the first time they bonded, Lan Wangji might have accepted it. He would have seen it as the atonement for saving Wei Wuxian. But now? Now he had the taste of a life with Wei Wuxian. He wasn’t going to settle for anything less. “We do all of it.” “Lan Zhan-” “He made you furen because it no longer benefits him to keep you out,” Lan Wangji explained. “You’ve become popular with the family, to the point where he’s worried I might bid to take his place. He sees this as appeasing me.”

"I’ll be here for you the whole way.” Lan Wangji murmured, pulling him close.

~~~ good 👍 👌 👏, I really like this Lan Wangji, it's good that he won't settle for nothing His decision cemented in his mind as their heartbeats matched. Wei Wuxian wouldn't loose this life, he wouldn't be exiled. Lan Wangji would make sure of it. Even if it meant disposing of his own brother.

~~~wow I have nothing to say😭😭 he is really amazing

[wwillywonka]

literally never not thinking about this. please release a studio recording of this version with the new lyrics... please.....

[a-pirate]

[vole-mon-amour]

people that write reviews like "don't read this book alone in the dark, way too spooky!" couldn't possibly wrap their head around me falling asleep to stories about real series killers and horror books that are way more scary and disgusting in their details.

[minty-playhouse]

To the shitty anon who attacked Melody because of her Ernie fanfic: I am now going to tag all my ship doodles and ship posts about the Who with their names to piss you off specifically! Thanks for helping me decide on that!

[lordansketil]

ROASTS AND ENTREMETS, LET’S GOOOO!!!

[futuregws]

Anti caryl (?) post so just a heads up I guess. 🤦🏼‍♀️

"Everyone that looks at Daryl and Carol sees them as a romantic thing, they just have that vibe to them, most people don't look at them and think friends, everyone always assumes there will be more between them or they end up wanting more"

...

🤔🤔🤔

...

You were saying... 👀