On 22 September 1955, the UK broadcast its first-ever TV ad. This 60-second spot for Gibbs SR toothpaste was a moment that transformed not only the advertising industry, but also the economy and culture of the nation. Overnight, TV turned brands into household names and campaigns into cultural touchstones.
Seventy years later, the media landscape is unrecognisable. Instead of gathering around a single TV screen, audiences are now spread across countless platforms, endlessly scrolling, skipping and streaming. Attention is harder to win and even harder to hold. But one thing has not changed in all this time: the power of a brilliant creative idea to capture hearts, drive business growth and shape culture.
From colour to connected creativity
TV has always pushed creativity forward. In the 1960s, the arrival of colour TV transformed the way brands could tell their stories. Soon after, specialist departments were springing up inside agencies to explore what was then a radical new medium, something VML’s legacy brands pioneered. Over the decades, TV became the launchpad for some of the world’s most memorable campaigns, from KitKat’s ‘Have a Break, Have a KitKat’ platform to Coca Cola’s beloved ‘Holidays Are Coming’ Christmas ad.
But today, we think less about TV as a siloed medium and more as part of an ecosystem of connected creativity – a medium for campaigns that seamlessly blend broadcast storytelling with digital activation, social conversation and physical experiences. Advertising is at its strongest when it creates connected experiences that reach people wherever they are and when brand stories are compelling enough to move from any screen to real conversations. This is how advertising remains not just relevant but commercially indispensable over the next 70 years.
Advertising as an economic engine
In the UK, this commerciality is something to be respected and protected. We have long been a global centre of creative excellence and this is a major contributor to the economy.
The UK advertising market is estimated to reach £42.4bn in 2025, up 6.5% compared with last year, according to WPP Media’s latest trend forecast, This Year Next Year.
TV has always played a critical role here – TV advertising investment alone totalled £5.27bn in 2024. The combination of mass reach and cultural resonance makes it a proven driver of measurable business growth. Even in today’s fragmented landscape, TV retains a unique ability to deliver scale and impact when paired with ideas that feel timely, human and memorable.
An economic ecosystem
But despite this impact, TV is now only one part of the creative economic engine. It’s sits within an ecosystem that is continuously expanding and growing. Digital advertising continues to expand its economic footprint, powering everything from SME growth to global brand building. Ecommerce has turned advertising into a direct revenue driver, collapsing the distance between awareness and conversion and raising expectations for a seamless commerce journey. Meanwhile, influencer marketing is creating an economy of its own, where trust, community and cultural currency is monetised at scale. All of these developments strengthen our ability to demonstrate advertising’s effectiveness to clients, translating creative solutions into measurable impact.
Today, each channel plays a different role not just in selling products but in shaping the relationship between brands and the culture they exist in. As we look to the next 70 years, the challenge for brands will be understanding how to win in an increasingly complex and competitive ecosystem, which will transform at an even greater pace in the age of AI. For VML, this means continuing to do what we’ve always done: combining creative excellence with an understanding of people, culture and technology to deliver work that drives real business results.
Seventy years on from that toothpaste ad, the fundamentals remain unchanged: creativity is the spark that turns campaigns into culture and investment into impact. Whatever screens or platforms come next, it is the strength of the creative ideas to travel, connect and endure that will decide which brands last.
Pip Hulbert is the chief executive of VML UK, a creative agency.
On 22 September 1955, the UK broadcast its first-ever TV ad. This 60-second spot for Gibbs SR toothpaste was a moment that transformed not only the advertising industry, but also the economy and culture of the nation. Overnight, TV turned brands into household names and campaigns into cultural touchstones.
Seventy years later, the media landscape is unrecognisable. Instead of gathering around a single TV screen, audiences are now spread across countless platforms, endlessly scrolling, skipping and streaming. Attention is harder to win and even harder to hold. But one thing has not changed in all this time: the power of a brilliant creative idea to capture hearts, drive business growth and shape culture.
