HHCL

HHCL, formally Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury & Partners, was a London-based British advertising agency founded on 17 October 1987 by Rupert Howell, Steve Henry, Axel Chaldecott, Adam Lury and Robin Price. It became one of the most distinctive agencies in the United Kingdom during the late 1980s and 1990s, combining strategic positioning with deliberately disruptive and often comic advertising. The agency described its practitioners as “professional radicals,” a phrase that reflected its preference for unconventional creative work and its belief that communications could create a meaningful competitive advantage for clients. HHCL’s reputation was built through campaigns that gave ordinary consumer products unusually strong personalities. Its work for Tango included the 1991 Orange Man commercial, in which a character in an orange suit slapped a Tango drinker after he consumed the soft drink. The commercial became one of the best-known British advertisements of its period and was later ranked highly in a Channel 4 poll of advertising. The original execution was withdrawn and remade after children copied the slap, replacing the slap with a kiss. The controversy nevertheless helped make the campaign and the Tango brand more prominent. HHCL later created “St George” for Blackcurrant Tango, a 1996 commercial that also became widely recognized and was included in listings of notable advertising. The agency also created the Ronseal proposition “It does exactly what it says on the tin” in 1994. The line linked a practical product benefit with a plain-speaking brand promise and became one of the most durable advertising phrases in British popular culture. For the Automobile Association, HHCL developed the positioning “The Fourth Emergency Service,” presenting vehicle breakdown assistance as an essential public service alongside the established emergency services. Other work included Maxell cassette commercials based on commonly misheard lyrics, advertising for technology and telecommunications companies, and the launch of the Go airline in collaboration with Wolff Olins in 1997. HHCL expanded and changed corporate ownership during a period of consolidation in the advertising industry. Chime PLC acquired the agency in October 1997. In January 2002, HHCL was merged into the Red Cell Network. The initials were eventually removed from the agency name, which became United London in January 2006. WPP Group, the agency’s owner at that stage, closed United London at the beginning of 2007, bringing HHCL’s independent operating history to an end. The agency’s creative legacy remained associated with high-impact television advertising, memorable verbal propositions and a willingness to use provocation as part of brand building. Its work for Tango also illustrates the regulatory and social risks of deliberately confrontational advertising: the campaign gained attention and commercial visibility, but its original portrayal of physical aggression had to be withdrawn. HHCL was voted “Agency of the Decade” by Campaign magazine in 2000, a recognition of its influence on British advertising before its later mergers and closure.

HHCL was established in London on 17 October 1987 as Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury & Partners. Its founding group consisted of Rupert Howell, Steve Henry, Axel Chaldecott, Adam Lury and Robin Price. From its beginning, the agency presented itself as an alternative to more conventional advertising practices. Its stated philosophy treated the quality of a company’s communications as a potential source of competitive advantage, while its creative culture was summarized by the expression “professional radicals.” Adam Lury also developed these ideas in the book Marketing at a Point of Change. During the early 1990s, HHCL built a reputation for distinctive television work. Its Maxell cassette commercials used commonly misheard song lyrics and visual references to Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video. In 1991, the agency produced the first major Orange Man advertisement for Tango. The commercial used absurd physical comedy: after drinking Tango, a young man was approached and slapped by a large orange character while commentators described the event. The execution became highly memorable and was later ranked third in Channel 4’s poll of the best commercials. Because children copied the slap, the original was banned and replaced with a version in which the Orange Man kissed the drinker instead. HHCL’s work extended beyond soft drinks. In 1994 it created the Ronseal line “It does exactly what it says on the tin,” a concise claim intended to communicate that the product performed precisely as advertised. The same year, it rebranded the Automobile Association as “The Fourth Emergency Service,” giving breakdown assistance a more urgent and socially familiar role. In October 1996, HHCL created “St George” for Blackcurrant Tango. The commercial became another widely remembered piece of British advertising and was subsequently included in a listing of the 100 best commercials. In 1997, Chime PLC acquired HHCL. That year the agency also worked with Wolff Olins to launch Go, an airline brand. In August 2000, Time Computer Systems awarded its advertising account to HHCL, ending the company’s previous advertising association with Leonard Nimoy. Campaign magazine named HHCL its Agency of the Decade in 2000, reflecting the agency’s status in the British creative industry. The agency’s later history was shaped by consolidation. In January 2002, HHCL was merged into the Red Cell Network. In January 2006, the HHCL name was abandoned and the operation became United London. WPP Group, which owned the successor agency, closed it at the beginning of 2007. HHCL therefore survives primarily as a historical advertising name and a body of influential British campaigns rather than as an active agency.

• 2007

  Successor agency closed

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  WPP Group closed United London at the beginning of 2007.

• 2006

  Renamed United London

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  The agency dropped the HHCL initials and began operating as United London.

• 2002

  Merged into Red Cell Network

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  HHCL was incorporated into the Red Cell Network.

• 2000

  Named Agency of the Decade

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign magazine recognized HHCL as its Agency of the Decade.

• 1997

  Acquisition by Chime and launch of Go

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  Chime PLC acquired HHCL, while HHCL and Wolff Olins jointly launched the Go airline brand.

• 1994

  Ronseal and Automobile Association positioning

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  The agency created Ronseal’s “It does exactly what it says on the tin” line and the Automobile Association’s “The Fourth Emergency Service” positioning.

• 1991

  Orange Man campaign for Tango

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  HHCL created the Orange Man commercial, establishing one of Tango’s most recognizable advertising identities.

• 1987

  Agency founded

  [1]HHCLen.wikipedia.org

  Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury & Partners was launched in London on 17 October by Rupert Howell, Steve Henry, Axel Chaldecott, Adam Lury and Robin Price.

A creatively radical, strategically minded advertising agency specializing in memorable, provocative and often humorous brand communications.

• Soft-drink advertising · 1991

  Tango advertising

  HHCL created a series of highly unconventional campaigns for Tango. The 1991 Orange Man commercial used surreal physical comedy and live-style commentary to turn the act of drinking Tango into a memorable brand event. After imitation slapping by children led to the original execution being banned, HHCL produced a revised version in which the character kissed the drinker. The campaign increased Tango’s profile and became a defining example of provocative British advertising.

• Brand positioning · 1994

  Ronseal brand proposition

  For Ronseal, HHCL developed the direct product promise “It does exactly what it says on the tin.” The positioning emphasized reliability and literal performance, translating a functional product benefit into a concise line that became strongly associated with straightforward claims in British advertising.

• Service-brand positioning · 1994

  The Fourth Emergency Service

  HHCL rebranded the Automobile Association as “The Fourth Emergency Service.” The campaign framed vehicle breakdown assistance as an essential service and gave the organization a more urgent, easily understood public role.

• Soft-drink advertising · 1996

  St George

  Created for Blackcurrant Tango in 1996, St George was another distinctive HHCL commercial. It became sufficiently notable to be included in a retrospective list of the 100 best commercials, reinforcing HHCL’s association with unusual and culturally memorable television work.

• Airline brand launch · 1997

  Go airline launch

  HHCL and the brand consultancy Wolff Olins jointly launched Go in 1997. The work represented HHCL’s involvement in creating a new service brand rather than only advertising an established consumer product.

• 2002

  Easynet broadband advertisements banned

  The Advertising Standards Authority banned HHCL-created Easynet advertisements showing male and female bosses punching employees. The regulator concluded that the commercials could cause serious or widespread offence and appeared to condone violence and antisocial behavior.

  Source

• 1991

  Orange Man commercial banned after imitation slapping

  The original Tango commercial depicted the Orange Man slapping a drinker. After children began copying the behavior, the execution was banned and replaced with a version featuring a kiss.

  Source

Read more

• 1997Go airline launch

  United Kingdom

  HHCL and Wolff Olins jointly developed the launch of Go, a new airline brand.

  Source
• 1996St George

  United Kingdom

  HHCL created the St George commercial for Blackcurrant Tango, extending its irreverent creative approach to another Tango flavor.

  Outcome. The commercial was later recognized in a retrospective ranking of the 100 best commercials.

  Source
• 1994It does exactly what it says on the tin

  United Kingdom

  HHCL created Ronseal’s plain-speaking product proposition, making literal performance and dependable claims the central communication idea.

  Outcome. The line became one of the best-known advertising expressions associated with British consumer culture.

  Source
• 1994The Fourth Emergency Service

  United Kingdom

  The Automobile Association was repositioned as “The Fourth Emergency Service,” presenting roadside assistance as an essential emergency response.

  Source
• 1991Orange Man

  United Kingdom

  A Tango commercial showed an orange-suited character slapping a man who had just consumed the drink. The campaign became famous for its surreal humor and was later remade after children copied the slap.

  Outcome. The original execution was banned and replaced with a kissing version; the campaign significantly raised Tango’s visibility and was highly ranked in a Channel 4 advertising poll.

  Source

• 2006

  Drop the HHCL name and operate as United LondonStrategy

  Background

  The agency had been integrated into the Red Cell Network and no longer operated as the original independent-named entity.

  Action taken

  The HHCL initials were removed and the agency was renamed United London.

  Aftermath

  WPP Group closed United London at the beginning of 2007.

  Source

• 2002

  HHCL merges into Red Cell NetworkM&A

  Background

  Following the Chime ownership period, the agency was reorganized within a wider advertising network.

  Action taken

  HHCL was merged into the Red Cell Network in January 2002.

  Aftermath

  The agency subsequently operated under the United London name after the HHCL initials were dropped in 2006.

  Source

• 1997

  Chime PLC acquires HHCLM&A

  Background

  The agency entered a period of ownership and network consolidation within the advertising industry.

  Action taken

  Chime PLC bought HHCL in October 1997.

  Aftermath

  HHCL was later merged into the Red Cell Network in 2002.

  Source

1. 1HHCLen.wikipedia.org