Living Room Legends: The First 70 Years of TV Ad Excellence

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Living Room Legends: The First 70 Years of TV Ad Excellence

What the best of the past can teach today’s marketers

To mark 70 years since the UK’s first TV ad aired, ITV, System1 and D&AD have joined forces to celebrate the most iconic British TV ads and explore what makes them truly great.

Living Room Legends is not just a retrospective. It is a practical playbook for today’s advertisers. We have brought together creative expertise, cultural insight and emotional data to reveal the timeless principles behind the UK’s most effective and memorable campaigns.

This report includes ads that shaped culture, built brands and moved millions and it offers clear lessons for a new era of TV creativity.

Inside the report:

Explore 70 iconic TV ads chosen for their emotional impact, cultural relevance and creative brilliance.
Go deeper with 7 case studies that show what makes great campaigns work.
See what System1 data reveals about these legendary ads.
Uncover the creative patterns that span decades, categories and styles.
Get practical lessons to help you make advertising that lasts and performs.

Living Room Legends shows that:

Great ads connect emotionally, entertain boldly, and build memory through craft.
Consistency strengthens impact.
Breaking the mould drives growth.
And even after 70 years, TV still delivers.
The best ads follow timeless principles that continue to work today.

Living Room Legends: The First 70 Years of TV Ad Excellence

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