Top 10 regional press ads

1. Thomson

A clever bit of capitalisation on Geordie Shore, the reality TV series described by one critic as "a gaudy kaleidoscope of six-packs, shots, fights, simulated fellatio and exposed breasts". Enough reason for Geordies wanting to flee such hedonism by booking a Thomson holiday – if only to escape the tourists said to be flocking to Newcastle to check out the decadence for themselves.
Agency: Beattie McGuinness Bungay; writer: Tom Sillars; art director: Danny Asensio

2. Ilkley Brewery

A hint of The Usual Suspects about this ad from the winner of the Newspaper Society’s Local Business Accelerators scheme. The brewery was founded only in 2009 by Christopher Ives, Richard Shelton and Stewart Ross, none of them with previous brewing industry experience. This seems not to have hampered them – turnover has doubled each year on the back of awards for its cask real ales.

Agency: In-house

3. Tesco

Presumably, this ad slipped under the radar of all those one-man-and-a-dog pressure groups in search of an easy headline about promoting snack foods with child appeal, as well as the Advertising Standards Authority, which takes a dim view of anything that might be deemed as encouraging pester power. Ah well, it is the season of goodwill and this campaign is a neat way of highlighting the offers available in Tesco in the run-up to Christmas.
Agency: Tag; writer/art director: Don Barclay

4. Business In You

Business In You is a partnership between the Government and private enterprise to provide advice, inspiration and practical support to help small businesses start up and grow. The creative work shows the dreams that drive entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life and uses inspirational real-life stories.
Agency: St Luke’s; writer: Al Young; art director: Julian Vizard

5. E.ON

E.ON, one of the Big Six that dominate UK energy supplies, has been trying a bit of tea and sympathy in its local advertising. Well, it had to do something, having put further pressure on beleaguered household budgets by adding another £170 to average gas and electricity bills in September. But there’s an offer that the people of Nottingham surely can’t refuse: pop into its new high-street home to chat about bills and they’ll even brew some tea.
Agency: DLKW Lowe; writer: Seb Housden; art director: Ben McCarthy

6. Morrisons

This is a no-nonsense ad that articulates Morrisons’ founding "market stall" principles of offering fresh food at competitive prices. Having concluded that shoppers are seeking a "deeper engagement" with food, the supermarket is increasing floor space to allow its fishmongers, butchers and bakers to prepare food.
Agency: DLKW Lowe; writer/art director: Tom Hudson

7. LOCOG

The Olympics gave London an opportunity to bask in its glory. This ad, featuring a production of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, helped promote the London 2012 Festival, which set out to harness the power of the Games to engage new audiences with the arts. More than 19.5 million people participated in the festival’s 12,000 performances and events at a range of venues across the country.
Agency: McCann London; writer: Chloe Grindle; art director: Michael Thomason

8. Santander

Santander has bucked the trend among major banks by increasing its lending to small and medium-sized enterprises. This ad highlights what the bank has been doing – Cordell, a Stockton-based engineering company, secured a multimillion-pound funding package from Santander in June after landing a major new contract.
Agency: Engine; writer: Chris King; art director: Simon Nicholls

9. Indigo Swan

No drafty dorms at Langley School, it seems. The Norfolk co-educational independent school has turned to Indigo Swan for help. The company advises organisations on buying their energy, claiming to remove hassle and securing the best possible contracts. The school is clearly satisfied enough to lend its name to the campaign.
Agency: In-house

10. The Newspaper Society

October saw the start of the second phase of the Local Business Accelerators initiative, designed to highlight the power of regional press advertising to boost small and medium-sized businesses. The ads feature some significant regional business owners, such as Gadgets4Everyone’s Sam Hargreaves.
Agency: St Luke’s; writer: Ed Redgrave; art director: Dave Wigglesworth

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk