Screen advertising has been an integral part of popular cultural life in Britain for decades. From the Victorian period to the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, filmmakers have been creating visions of the passage of life - from the purchase of a first home, to taking a holiday, celebrating Christmas, choosing a pram or a funeral plan. As brands have engaged, entertained and sometimes enraged audiences, first in Britain's earliest cinemas, then in family living rooms, and now via the smartphones of Generation Z, they have built an industry that has become critically acclaimed across the world as a creative leader in screen advertising.

This book examines some of the most influential, memorable, innovative and controversial commercials from late nineteenth-century street experiments to present day digital campaigns, by pioneering filmmakers including Lotte Reiniger and Ridley Scott. Through close analysis of case studies such as the famous Hovis 'Boy on a Bike' advert of 1973 and Bodyform's 2016 'Blood Normal' campaign , Emily Caston explores technological developments, identifies stylistic themes that would later be adopted in mainstream film and television, highlights changing attitudes towards social and sexual representation and cultural diversity, and much more.