This film is part of Free

T.V. Talk - Lintas

What on earth is this commercial TV business? An advertising agency takes stock

Advert 1954 20 mins

Overview

Churchill branded it a "tuppenny Punch and Judy show", but the arrival of commercial television in Britain in 1955 was big business to advertising agencies. It was also, at first, a bit of a head-scratcher - how would British audiences react to the salesman's intrusion into the living room? What lessons could be learnt from American television, or British radio and cinema ads? In this film, made a year before the launch of ITV, the Lintas agency set out their approach to the problem, offering a fascinating glimpse of 'mad men' on an uncertain footing.

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