Junior Planner

I've got to be completely honest with you, it came as a bit of a shock when I finished watching an advert starring Bruce Willis and Elle Macpherson only to realise it was for NORWICH UNION.

There was little 'ol me thinking that Norwich Union was some 1970s insurance company who had enjoyed some limited success in Norwich, despite an ill-chosen flagship color of canary yellow.

And yet low and behold, here they are with a new £9 million pound advert with every (famous) man, woman, and his/her dog attached. Bruce Willis puts his name to the project (although to be honest - Bruce Willis would put his name on my ass if I gave him £10 - ok, maybe £20).

This is a bit of a doozy, a knockout, an unexpected surprise which gains Norwich Union some much deserved street cred. Especially important as they go through a name transformation, moving their business outside of Norwich, and reinventing themselves as 'Aviva' - a name which just as easily lends itself to a brand of fruit juice as a large-scale insurance firm.

A genius new advert for PG Tips by Mother hit the screens of millions on Christmas Day, and I think it's a little piece of genius.

The advert brings back to life a famous sketch by British comedy duo Morecambe and Wise. For those of you who may be culturally blind sighted by this, the duet was featured in a Christmas show of 1974, which saw the two comedians making breakfast in time with a gaudy strip-show musical song.

PG Tips have timed the release of this advert perfectly - right at the time of year when classic comedy sketches like this appear on Christmas repeat shows. The advert works both as a touching allusion to a comedy great, and a well-executed piece of marketing, putting PG Tips right back on the map.

In the times of Assam, Earl Grey and Chinese white leaf, it's nice to know that we can all enjoy a good 'cuppa if we want to.

Good Ad.