FIFTY YEARS OF ADVERTISING HISTORY: THE INDUSTRY’S BEST-KEPT SECRET STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

• The History of Advertising Trust (HAT) marks half a century of preserving Britain’s advertising heritage, and invites the industry to celebrate with it
• The HAT 50 Awards open for nominations on 1 June 2026: seven categories drawn from over 10 million archive items inviting the advertising community to nominate campaigns, posters and moments that truly defined British advertising

The History of Advertising Trust (HAT), custodian of the world’s largest archive of UK advertising, turns 50 this year – marking a significant milestone in the history of the British advertising industry.

Founded in 1976, HAT has spent half a century collecting, preserving and cataloguing the creative output of an entire industry: over 10 million items spanning more than three centuries of British brand communication, housed across seven environmentally controlled archive buildings in Raveningham, Norfolk.

Its collections include material that even the industry’s most senior figures have never seen – from Jeremy Bullmore’s original sketches pitching the Mr Kipling brand and his 1965 memo introducing an unknown young director called Ridley Scott, to behind-the-scenes Super 8 footage of Scott shooting the Hovis ‘Bike Ride’ commercial, the original Saatchi & Saatchi brief for the launch of The Independent in 1986, and Paul Arden’s Silk Cut poster proofs from the same decade.

Yet for all its depth and significance, HAT has operated largely out of the spotlight of the industry it serves. Its 50th anniversary, the organisation believes, is the moment to change that.

John Gordon-Saker, Executive Director of HAT, said: “Fifty years is a remarkable milestone for any organisation, but for one whose purpose is to preserve the industry’s own history, it feels particularly significant. The archive we’ve built is extraordinary – not just as a record of great advertising, but as a mirror of British social history. This anniversary is our opportunity to share that with the wider industry and to make the case that looking back isn’t nostalgia – it’s one of the most powerful tools an agency or brand has.”

To mark the anniversary, HAT is launching the HAT 50 Awards – seven categories celebrating the archive’s most culturally significant holdings and inviting the industry to engage with advertising history in a way it never has before. The awards culminate in a celebratory invitation only evening for clients, supporters and sponsors at the IPA on 16 September 2026, along with a charity auction and the announcement of the winners.

Tom Knox, Chair of HAT, said: “These awards are unlike anything the industry has seen, because they’re rooted in something the industry rarely stops to examine: its own archive. The categories that are judged by HAT’s own archivists, drawn from 50 years of records, will produce results that will genuinely surprise people. And the industry nominated categories give everyone a stake in what gets celebrated. HAT’s best way to move forwards is to look back and this is our invitation to the whole industry to do the same.”

The awards are already supported by headline partners PMG, the global independent digital marketing company, and Pearl & Dean, the iconic cinema advertising brand, alongside early category sponsors System1 Group –  the leading creative effectiveness platform, and Ocean Outdoor.

Josh Krichefski, EMEA President of PMG, headline partner, said: “HAT’s 50th anniversary is a milestone for the industry’s soul. At PMG, we believe innovation requires perspective – you can’t build a forward-thinking agency without an understanding of what came before. HAT is the bridge between advertising’s iconic heritage and its digital future, and we’re delighted to support both the Trust and these awards.”

THE HAT 50 AWARDS

Seven categories – three open to industry nominations, three judged by HAT‘s own archivists and one sourced from Next Generation favourites span social history, creativity, effectiveness and cultural impact.

The archive-based categories, assessed by HAT’s archivists using 50 years of records, are where the programme breaks genuinely new ground:

Most Treasured Archive Item — From Bullmore’s Mr Kipling sketches to the McVitie’s giant Jonut and a bust of Sir Billy Butlin, HAT’s archivists will determine which single item from the collection stands above all others in terms of historical significance and impact.

Longest Continuous Advertiser (sponsored by System1 Group) — Gibbs SR made history as the subject of the UK’s first TV commercial in 1955, but which brand has advertised most consistently across all 50 years of HAT‘s existence? Sponsored by System1 Group, the leading creative effectiveness platform.

Most Researched Brand or Topic — Which subject has drawn the most sustained interest from academics, publishers and broadcasters visiting HAT’s archive over five decades — the rise and fall of retail, gender representation, decolonisation, or something else entirely?

The industry is also invited to nominate across four open categories:

Nominations are open to all advertising and creative industry professionals. A panel of senior industry leaders representing brands, agencies and opinion formers will be invited to judge the top-rated nominations in each category.

Most Culturally Impactful Campaign — Which campaign has most profoundly shaped the country’s psyche or lifestyle? The test is simple: did it change something?

Most Emotive Poster (sponsored by Ocean Outdoor) — Which poster campaign best combined the traditional art of the medium with genuine emotional impact, from hand-painted billboards to the digital out-of-home era? Sponsored by Ocean Outdoor, the UK and Europe’s leading premium out-of-home media company.

Most Iconic Ad — Which single advertisement from the past 50 years stands as the industry’s clearest all-time favourite?

Next Gen Choice — Students and young professionals will nominate campaigns that speak most directly to them, with the winner judged alongside data analysis of what today’s emerging target market values most, and linked to HAT‘s research for its autumn University Roadshow across eight regional media hub cities.

To join in, follow the History of Advertising Trust on LinkedIn and watch out for calls for nominations from Monday 1^st June throughout the course of the month: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-history-of-advertising-trust/

LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARDS

HAT’s 50th anniversary is marked by a new positioning: Look Back to Move Forwards, which underpins all communications throughout 2026 and beyond, reflecting its belief that advertising heritage is not nostalgia but a competitive advantage for agencies and brands today.

HAT‘s collections include material from historic agencies such as JWT, Ogilvy and Young & Rubicam, brand archives for Hovis, Heinz, Butlin’s, McVitie’s, Ginsters and Vimto, and over 50,000 digitised ads accessible via its online catalogue. It serves as archivist to the UK’s leading advertising trade bodies including the IPA, Advertising Association, British Arrows, ISBA and WACL, and its Brand Archaeology service gives agencies access to a brand’s full heritage when pitching. Its reminiscence resource Ad-Memoire supports dementia care.

Source: HAT

  Advertising, Agency, HAT 50 Awards, History of Advertising Trust, PMG