BBC Four: Mad Men Season

If you can catch another viewing of either of these two programs that its well worth it. An interesting insight to the history of advertising and how it all started. With frank and honest views from some of the industries legends on the growth, demise and future of advertising business.

David Ogilvy: Original Mad Man
Part of the Mad Men season.

The story of David Ogilvy, whose advertising agency started out in 1948 with no clients and two members of staff and became the largest advertising conglomerate in the world.

In time, this would become the era of the Mad Men, the men of Madison Avenue who worked out of sleek offices, chain-smoked and conjured up the heaven-on-earth vision of suburban consumer splendour.

The documentary reveals Ogilvy's extremes and eccentricities through interviews with individuals whose lives he touched: those who knew him and worked with him during the conception of some of his most famous campaigns.

Past


Present


The Rise and Fall of the Ad Man
...Time Shift

Showing as part of the Mad Men season. Peter York investigates the inside story of British advertising from top British advertising figures past and present, including Alan Parker, David Puttnam, Tim Bell, Frank Lowe and Martin Sorrell.

Inspired by the maverick US advertisers of Madison Avenue, a new generation of British ad men created a unique style of advertising based on authentic British culture. During the 1970s, British ads came to be regarded as the best in the world. But when the business climate changed in the 1980s, the British ad man had to reinvent himself for a new, global market.