The younger folks on this site may not have heard of Hamlet cigars, especially since cigarette/cigar ads have been banned virtually all around the world. But the campaign for Hamlet cigars – developed by Collett Dickenson Pearce – is now part of advertising folklore.

From 1964, when Hamlet was launched, till the end of the 20th century, CDP created brilliant TVCs for Hamlet with the tag line – “Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet. The mild cigar”.

The formula for the TVCs was set – they presented scenes in which a man, having failed dismally at something, is consoled by lighting a Hamlet cigar. Much of the humour came from the fact that the product being advertised was deliberately unclear until the tell-tale cigar appeared.

What is amazing is that the overall message remained unchanged for over three decades. A great example of consistency in advertising.

Visual courtesy : https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenwichphotography/