Advertising in Britain is so great that people pay to view a reel of commercials.
In fact, for 30 years fans have jammed the Walker Art Center cinema in Minneapolis to watch the British Arrows Awards.
To mark the milestone, this year's awards include some stellar spots from the past, including a 2009 award-winner from Hovis Breads with the tagline "As Good Today As It's Always Been." To demonstrate, a young lad is shown hustling home with a freshly baked loaf. Along the way the boy runs through turning points in Britain's turbulent 20th Century history. A poster for passage on the Titanic is seen in the first shot. Soon he weaves through a suffragette rally. Next, the boy returns a crisp salute from a conscript marching off to the horrors of World War I. That scene (just like the era itself) dissolves into images of the Blitz, with Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech broadcast amid bombed buildings. The festive ascension of Queen Elizabeth II, the mod '60s, England's 1966 World Cup victory, nascent Asian immigration (foreshadowing today's globalization), a Thatcher-era miners strike and millennium fireworks over a modern, confident London complete the arc, and the ad.
If the spot were shot today, it would be impossible to leave out this year's Brexit vote as a seminal event. And it would be impossible to wonder not about the bread, but of Britain: Will it be as good as it's always been?
It's too soon to tell. Post-vote political and economic upheavals have dissipated, albeit not disappeared. And in fact it's not yet evident when — or if — Brexit will actually happen, because a court recently ruled that the procedure to leave the European Union now needs to pass Parliament.
So Brexit's next steps will need the steady hand of Britain's new prime minister, Theresa May, who is the second female leader to reside at No. 10 Downing Street. That fact delivers on the desired outcome of a clever ad in this year's reel from Elle, which campaigns not for the magazine but for "#MOREWOMEN" in leadership posts. To lively music, before-and-after photos of groups of political, pop culture and business figures are shown. The men are removed in the "after" photo, depicting a persistent, pervasive gender imbalance.
Brexit's impact on U.K. culture is unclear, too. But the pivotal national moment, and the mood that spurred it, will undoubtedly be reflected in British literature, film and music, as well as advertising.
For now it's a " 'Keep Calm and Carry On' spirit," said Charlie Crompton, chairman of the British Arrows board of directors. Crompton, speaking from London before jetting off for the Dec. 2 Walker premiere, added that "In terms of advertising they're a little bit on the back foot, not sure exactly where it is going to go. But people still want to have memorable advertising, and that's what we do so well here."