3 great ads I had nothing to do with: Craig Inglis

About the series

In this series of short films, leading Thinkbox Creative Academy members have the tricky task of selecting just three TV ads that have inspired them: brilliant commercials, old and new, that they admire but had nothing to do with.

The idea is not only to explore some of our greatest ads in the company of people who know a thing or two about making them, but also – because of the proven link between creativity and effectiveness – encourage the advertising industry to even greater heights.

We hope you enjoy the films.

To see more in this series, visit the Three Great Ads I Had Nothing To Do With archive

Craig Inglis, marketing director, John Lewis

Craig joined John Lewis in March 2008, where he has presided over an overhaul of the retailer’s marketing strategy and a number of high-profile campaigns including the much talked-about "Never Knowingly Undersold" re-launch last year.

The brand has gone on from strength to strength under his tenure, winning the Marketing Society’s Brand of the Year for 2010 & 2011 and the Grand Prix at the 2012 IPA Effectiveness Awards.  

Craig has been responsible for the much celebrated series of emotional TV ads behind this business success, including; "the long wait", "always a woman" and "the feeling". He is also the current Marketing Society’s Marketer of the Year.

He started his career in 1992 as a marketing graduate trainee at Thomson Holidays, leading to a role as a Product Manager. After a year travelling the world, Craig joined Virgin in 1997 as a Product Manager in their fledgling rail business and, after launching thetrainline.com, he rose to become Sales & Marketing Director of Virgin Trains. In that role, in 2006, he picked up his first IPA Effectiveness Award for Virgin Trains' "return of the train", a great TV ad that used footage from classic films featuring trains, such as 'The Railway Children', 'The Lady Vanishes', 'Some Like It Hot' and 'North By Northwest’.

Robinsons "Wimbledon" by BBH

Volkswagen Polo "father daughter" by DDB

Stella Artois "ice-skating priests" by Lowe London