1. Christian O'Connell, Xfm. 'Mould-breaking', 'standard-setting', 'pure genius': these are just some of the quotes made up by Christian O'Connell about his own breakfast show on Xfm. O'Connell, together with his newsreader-turned-sidekick Chris Smith, regularly break broadcasting boundaries, making...
1. The Matrix: Reloaded; Directors: Andy and Larry Wachowski; Box office gross: £33.2m. Never the stirring sequel to The Matrix everyone was panting for, murmurs that Reloaded would give the series the same mythical status as the Star Wars trilogy were way off the mark. If anything, the Wachowski brothers...
1. Wrigley's Xcite: One for the record books. The commercial for the chewing gum brand showing a man appearing to vomit an entire dog provoked 863 complaints, giving it the dubious distinction of being the most complained-about British TV ad of all time. Viewers claimed the Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO...
1. New!: In a year where launch activity from the major stables was distinctly lacking, Richard Desmond's rip-off of IPC's Now was the biggest launch. Selling more than 300,000 copies a week, New! is proof that, supported by a low cover price, the celebrity bubble is here to stay. As if one copycat...
1. Jonathan Durden, the chairman of PHD . Many things have been written about Jonathan Durden in recent years. That he's the daddy of clever media thinking. Or the grandfather. Or the Old Testament Patriarch. He is actually the head of the Academy of Strategic Communications Philosophy. A man with the...
1. Mark Jarvis, the head of media at Carat . Press sales directors have been alarmed at the number of follicularly challenged people muscling in on 'the press party'. The industry's new-fangled multidisciplinary buying directors, as in Mark 'Billiard Ball' Jarvis, have shiny domes. The response of one...
1. John O'Keeffe: Precipitate remarks about Samuel L Jackson being dropped as the Barclays frontman shouldn't detract from the fact that O'Keeffe maintains consistently high creative standards across the board at Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Solid performances on unpromising accounts such as Woolworths and...
1. Ikea - 'lamp' : This original and memorable ad trounced Honda "cog" to scoop the Grand Prix at Cannes. A lamp is dumped outside in the harsh elements and spies its new replacement through a window. The sentimental music plucks at your heartstrings and you can't help but feel sorry it. Then a Scandinavian...
1. Honda: A commercial that has courted equal doses of controversy and praise, "cog" is a tour de force of production skill and creativity. Provenance of the idea aside (who else thought of adapting the short film for a car manufacturer?), this is an exquisite spot that pushed the envelope for car...
1. Volkswagen: Volkswagen's advertising has developed a reputation for showing off essential features of its models. 'Elepump' marks a distinct change and saw BMP DDB scoop gold for the Best Individual Poster at the Campaign Poster Awards 2003.
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