Beavers and Boxer Shorts: Great Ads That Clearcast Shaped

Above: still from ‘Well Earned’, Woodsman Whisky 

The UK’s first TV ad, a Gibbs SR toothpaste spot, aired 70 years ago on September 22, 1955. Since then, millions of unique TV ads have lit up UK screens – each one shaped by evolving standards, creativity, and the rigorous clearance process that ensures they meet industry rules.

Clearcast (and all its incarnations) is the body that has been approving these TV (and more recently VoD) ads over the decades. So it is quite literally the company that’s seen it all.

However, Clearcast doesn’t simply clear finished ads. It's much more integral to the process than that as it reviews ads at the script stage, and again when the ads have been filmed.

Plus, Clearcast works with creators at the early script and storyboard stage, as part of its Copy Development service, to ensure that the creative idea is preserved from the start, whilst working within the BCAP code. Though Clearcast doesn’t make the rules that ads need to follow, it does ensure that they’re applied correctly, meaning that brands are protected and ads are more likely to stay on TV, should they receive any complaints.

“Compliant ads breed trust and trust is the cornerstone of what we do. Without consumer trust, your money is wasted and your message is irrelevant. We’ve always worked closely with brands and agencies to find a pathway to get their great ads to air whilst working within the rules,” says Sam Smith, MD of Clearcast.

Throughout the years, Clearcast has played a pivotal role in getting some of the most memorable ads to air. And their Copy Development service has meant that even the most spicy and controversial ones could stay on the right side of the line, in order to make it to TV. Today, LBB takes a look at some of the ads that Clearcast helped to get – and keep – on TV, including the classic 'Laundrette' from Levi's and Bodyform's boundary-pushing 'Viva La Vulva'. 

‘Epic Strut’, Moneysupermarket.com
Mother, 2015

Boasting the accolade of the ASA’s most complained about ad in 2015, ‘Epic Strut’ certainly caused a stir. A man steps out of a car wearing a huge grin – he’s just saved a lot on his car insurance. The camera pans to reveal that as well as a suit jacket, shirt and tie, he’s wearing denim hotpants and high heels. He then proceeds to strut, epically, to the tune of The Pussycat Dolls’ ‘Don’t Cha’. Clearcast found no issues with the concept or the execution, though the ad went on to receive a whopping 1,513 complaints. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) didn’t investigate however, demonstrating that a large number of complaints doesn’t automatically mean an ad will be taken off air.

‘Well Earned’, Woodsman Whisky, Whyte and Mackay
Mr President, 2024

Alcohol advertising is governed by plenty of rules and regulations. A key rule is that ads featuring alcohol shouldn’t appeal to under 18s, which presents challenges for agencies and brands who might want to use images and concepts which could be viewed as appealing to younger audiences.

The brand Whyte and Mackay, with its agency Mr President, approached Clearcast with a challenge: get an alcohol ad featuring puppet beavers on air. The script and storyboards were sent from Clearcast’s copy team to Pete Bellas, copy development manager, who then worked one-on-one with the agency.

Four main areas were flagged: the beaver’s appearance, behaviour, humour, and the accompanying music. Pete worked with the team to tone down the beavers' appeal to young people and suggested the beavers looked more tatty and less cuddly. He also reviewed the humour, the tone of which needed altering to avoid appealing to children. The final sticking point was the music: the repetitive and catchy tune could come across nursery rhyme-esque. It was reworked to the style of bluegrass and folk to appear more mature.

The Clearance team approved the altered creative at the storyboard stage and Pete was on hand throughout the production process to provide extra assurance on particular shots. The finished ad was then submitted and approved. When the ASA investigated the ad after three complaints, it said the comedic and animal elements were “fun but not directly appealing to or targeting under 18s” and the ad stayed on air.

‘Laundrette’, Levi’s
BBH, 1985

This spot was pretty clear with its intentions: sell jeans with sex. Musician Nick Kamen starred in this steamy spot, featuring the cool sounds of ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and shots that walk quite a provocative line. When reviewing the original version, Clearcast’s Pam Hutchings noted that the tight Y-front briefs sported by Nick were a touch too much for TV. BBH rethought the choice of underwear, opting for boxer shorts instead. The result? Sales of Levi’s 501’s shot up by 800%, alongside increased sales of boxer shorts too. The ad was so iconic and has since become so instantly recognisable, that just last year it was recreated by Beyonce, using her song “Levii's Jeans”.

‘Viva La Vulva’, Bodyform
AMV BBDO, 2019

In 2017, AMV BBDO broke one of the last, most long-standing taboos in TV advertising: it showed period blood – not a euphemistic blue liquid – in a spot for Bodyform. Two years later, the team returned with a new vulva-centric ad, to communicate that there’s no such thing as normal or perfect when it comes to the appearance of vulvas. Employing visual metaphor, the team and previous copy development manager, Seb Lynch, spent a lot of time analysing what timing restrictions different representations of vulvas would be given, from rock formations and oysters, to embroidery. Unsurprisingly, the spot attracted some complaints, but the ASA didn't investigate, understanding its progressive and cheeky tone. The ground-breaking ad won a string of awards and played a huge part in normalising period blood on TV, helping to destigmatise this natural part of life.

‘Bisto’, Bisto Gravy
Saatchi & Saatchi, 2001

When Clearcast's long-established copy manager Peter Johnson first saw the actress selected to feature in Bisto’s ad, he voiced concern that she was “too frail and delicate for the role and that might cause offence, especially with her teasing her husband that she was pregnant.” A spirited discussion followed and Peter whimsically suggested that Saatchi & Saatchi should look for “someone bolshie and outspoken, like Liz Smith.” The agency more than agreed. The next version featured the late, great actress and the ad went to air a week later, thanks to Clearcast’s spot-on, off-the-cuff casting suggestion that made the teasing tone of the ad bold and clear from the outset.

So, there you have it. Thanks to Clearcast’s support in helping advertisers and agencies bring their best work to air, we’ve been treated to some of the most memorable and creative ads of the past 70 years. Simply, Clearcast isn’t a gatekeeper but a partner who champions your goals and encourages you to push boundaries, working hard to protect the creative ideas at the core of an ad while working tirelessly to get it on TV. The trick, according to Clearcast, is to work with the team – not against it – achieving alignment between rules and creativity in the process.

Clearcast offers further services beyond its standard clearance and the Copy Development support described in this article. It can also provide guidance out of normal working hours and on set, turnaround feedback on scripts in 24 hrs or approve final TVCs within 2 hours, (providing there’s already an approved rough-cut). It can also deliver and subtitle your ads and provide full ad clearance management. They also offer a comprehensive training programme.

Visit Clearcast.co.uk for more information.