Midland Counties Ice Cream Television Advertisements - Compilation

1959
Sound
4m

A medley of frozen flavours in these early TV campaigns, thawed for your delight.

Like a Neapolitan ice cream block, these early TV ads for the frozen delights of Midland Counties are stacked together in a medley of flavours. Back to back the individual distinctions of any single advert melt away, revealing the clichés in phrases and framing behind them. The pause at the end of each advert, known as the 'TV hold', would have been edited out for broadcast. Left intact it marks an awkward pause in which the often flimsy set-up of the ad threatens to collapse around it.

Commercial Television

The launch of ITV on 22 September 1955 brought advertising to the small screen. Commercial television spread rapidly across the country, inviting the salesperson into every living room.

This collection shows how some advertisers struggled to find the right voice and formats for the new medium, while others hit the ground running. Look out for rare examples of the shortlived 'admags' - banned in 1962 for blurring the distinction between programmes and adverts.