Trevor Robinson OBE, co-creator of the iconic Tango adverts, has described how a small agency revolutionised 90s advertising by taking on soft-drink giants. The brief from Tango was simple: write whatever you want, just make the brand famous.
Robinson and his creative partner Al Young were frustrated with the prevailing 'cause and effect' advertising trend. Their idea began as a joke: a drinker experiences something shocking so quickly that only slow-motion replay reveals it. The ad featured a fat orange man slapping the drinker, with commentary by Hugh Dennis and Ray Wilkins.
The 'Orange Man' was played by actor Peter Geeves, chosen for his distinctive run. Jazz musician Gil Scott-Heron voiced the tagline 'You know you've been Tango'd'. The ad became a cultural phenomenon, with children mimicking the slap, leading to complaints of perforated eardrums and a subsequent ban.
A revised version replaced the slap with a kiss. Despite criticism from some advertising professionals who labelled it 'oik advertising', the campaign achieved huge success through word of mouth. Robinson noted that the ad's enduring legacy is its adoption by the public, with people still dressing as the Orange Man today.
