British And Irish Lions - HSBC Ad By JWT | ...Gasp!

British And Irish Lions

HSBC Ad By JWT

With the build-up to the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia in full swing, the time is upon us where the various sponsors present their takes on the Lions theme and attempt to capitalize on the excitement and anticipation surrounding the tour. Cue this wonderful HSBC Ad By JWT.

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As an unashamed rugby fan perhaps I’m pre-disposed to love any advert that uses current and former players and in-jokes from the Lions’ illustrious past, but as a lover of ‘Hornblower’ and the novels of Patrick O’Brian, the new JWT ad for HSBC feels as though it was made exclusively for me.

As an unashamed rugby fan perhaps I’m pre-disposed to love any advert that uses current and former players and in-jokes from the Lions’ illustrious past, but as a lover of ‘Hornblower’ and the novels of Patrick O’Brian, the new JWT ad for HSBC feels as though it was made exclusively for me. Using a naval theme referencing Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia, the ad affectionately features past Lions stars like Willie John McBride and JPR Williams (amusingly cast as the ship’s surgeon) as well the Lions coach Warren Gatland and more recent players; Jason Robinson and Brian O’Driscoll. Its always a risk having sportsmen and women in speaking roles in ads as often their acting leaves a lot to be desired, Rory McIlroy’s clunking performance in the recent Santander ads is a potent example, but all the stars here give a remarkably convincing performance!

In the past some ads have done this better than others, could any self-respecting rugby fan forget this stellar Adidas commercial in the lead up to the 2005 tour to New Zealand, which so cleverly integrated Adidas’s pre-existing slogan ‘Impossible is Nothing’.

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