Target: Geoff Hurst

1968
Sound
1m

England's 1966 hat-trick hero doesn't sweat the small stuff - or at all, according to this deodorant commercial.

Score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and the world is your oyster. Few people (outside millions of Germans and fans of the ozone layer) are going to begrudge England hero Geoff Hurst the chance to earn a few quid selling suspiciously generic-looking aerosol deodorant. Note that there is no suggestion that Geoff would use Target before the game - that would be unmanly. No, Geoff needs his "man-size protection" in the bar with a pint and two ladies after the game. Those were the days?

Commercial for men's aerosol deodorant featuring Geoff Hurst. After a match Geoff uses Target.

Celebrity Sells

A celebrity endorsement is one of the advertisers' most powerful weapons.

For generations, movie stars, television personalities and sporting heroes have all bought in to selling out. A famous face can trigger a string of associations that advertisers hope will reflect well on the product. And for new faces, an advertising gig can be the path to recognition, and a career which enables you to be the star turn.

Behind the camera, too, advertising commissions can kickstart a career or offer a lucrative sideline. Directors like Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Hugh Hudson got an early boost from advertising work, and many continued to shoot ads long after they 'made it' in features.