Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet

"Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet" was an advertising campaign for Hamlet Cigars, which ran on television from 1966 until all tobacco advertising on television was banned in the UK in 1991.[1] The campaign returned in cinemas in 1996, continuing there until 1999,[2] with the final commemorative advert and the modified tagline, "Happiness will always be a cigar called Hamlet."[3]

History

The slogan and the entire campaign was created by the Collett Dickenson Pearce agency in 1966. The premise is that a man finds himself in an awkward or embarrassing situation and lights a Hamlet cigar. Lighting and smoking this cigar makes him smile and forget his woes. The adverts used an excerpt from a jazz rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Air on the G String, played by Jacques Loussier and his trio, which is still frequently associated with the brand.[4]

The advertisements featured in television, radio and cinema commercials, various print media, and on billboards. One advert featured the 1982 Channel 4 blocks forming the number 5, then rewinding and then forming a jumbled mess, which then turned into a face with a cigar, making it smile. This advert was played from 1982 until 1989.

Celebrity appearances

Numerous celebrities appeared in the adverts, including Ian Botham,[5] Ronnie Corbett, and Gregor Fisher in the guise of his "Baldy Man" character (from Naked Video), attempting to use a photo booth [6] and later attempting to get a family portrait

Recognition

The advert was listed as the eighth greatest television advertisement of all time by Channel 4 in 2000. Both the original Channel 4 ident and a Hamlet advert spoofing the ident were made by Martin Lambie-Nairn.[7] Furthermore, the advert was ranked as the ninth greatest advertisement in an ITV list made in 2005[8] and as the third funniest television advertisement ever by Campaign Live in 2008.[9]

References
  1. "Tobacco Key Dates in the Campaign to ban Tobacco Advertising | ASH". Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  2. Happiness.. WAS a cigar ad by Hamlet; CAMPAIGN GOES UP IN SMOKE | The Mirror
  3. Hamlet Cigars - Farewell (1999)
  4. Brand Strategy. February 2006. "Orchestrating a sound strategy Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, Lesson Four: Be creative, be distinct and remember that nobody is listening!". Accessed 8 August 2006.
  5. History of Advertising Trust Archive. "CDP: one of the greatest advertising agencies ever". Accessed 8 August 2006.
  7. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/inside-story-martin-lambienairn--king-of-the-idents-760463.html
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2009-04-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/865453/
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