Just the Ticket!

1953
Sound
2m

A hard-working Catford clippie and her family star in this cinema ad for hot chocolate.

On the buses of South London Mrs Charlotte Wilson is a hard-working clippie, and on top of her day job she runs a tight ship in her Catford home. Cadbury's came along to give her and her family their two minutes of fame in this cinema advert for their Bournvita drink, using her home and workplace as the backdrop.

Putting everyday people in adverts to give authenticity to a commercial message is a tactic with a long history, but even in the age of reality television it's hard to see anyone consenting to have their actual address broadcast as part of the script today.

What Women Want?

Caring mums, hard-working housewives or independent, fun-loving 'new women' - the female consumer has long been a target of screen advertising.

In the cause of selling anything from baked beans to washing powders to all manner of labour-saving devices, advertisers have promised to make women's lives easier and to help them build happy homes and successful relationships.

There's no getting past the fact that women have all-too often been patronised and objectified by a male-dominated advertising industry. But screen advertising also tells (and sells) a more positive story of social progress for women, with increasing social and economic independence. This collection tracks the ups and downs of female empowerment in the 20th century, with its false steps as revealing as its forward ones.