Long before George Clooney became the face of Nespresso, there was another kid on the coffee block. Just as suave as Clooney and because he’s British, way cooler and more sophisticated obvs…
So just who was the original king of coffee ads? None other than Anthony Head.
Back in 1987, he thrust himself manfully onto our small screens as one half of pairing Tony & Sharon in a ‘will they, won’t they’ situation all brought about by drinking the same type of coffee; Nescafe Gold Blend.
The ads ran in a serial format, much like a soap opera over 6 years with 12 ads in total. Each new instalment pulled in ever greater audiences, with he final ad garnering an audience of 30 million.
The pair were so popular, they even cracked America with the ads being reproduced with the same actors and American accents. CDs, a novel and a compilation of the ads available to buy on VHS followed and the series was even rebooted TWICE with new characters it was that successful.
Speaking of success, sales of Gold Blend went up 50% and the ads arguably gave birth to storytelling in ad form. And the succession of Christmas ads from John Lewis et al followed.
So, do the Gold Blend couple stand the test of time? Sit back with a hot beverage and decide for yourself.
