Martians ("For Mash Get Smash")
Cadbury's Smash1974
Martians ("For Mash Get Smash") is a 1974 television campaign for Cadbury's Smash, created by Boase Massimi Pollitt, London.
The line
For mash get Smash.
Why it works
A family of giggling robot Martians watch Earth people peel potatoes, boil them "for twenty of their minutes" and "smash them all to bits" — and collapse into metallic laughter at the primitive species. John Webster's 1974 creation for instant mash broke the cardinal rule of food advertising (never mock your consumer), made the convenience product feel like the future rather than a compromise, and took Smash to market leadership. Fan mail poured in for the puppets; three now sit in the National Science and Media Museum. It was named TV advert of the century by Campaign magazine in 1999 and ranked second in the Channel 4/Sunday Times poll of the 100 greatest TV ads — a double crown no other British ad holds.
Techniques
- Humour Giggling robot Martians collapse in laughter at humans who peel, boil and smash potatoes, making instant mash look like the future.
- Mascots and characters The metallic Martian family becomes a set of beloved puppets that draw fan mail and fix the brand in memory.
Sources · 3
Updated
