As the History of Advertising Trust (HAT) marks its 50th anniversary, a Guardian writer explores its vast Norfolk archive and reflects on the memorable British television commercials of past decades. The piece celebrates advertising as a cultural record, arguing that these ephemeral commercials are a valuable window into modernity and the ways in which consumers are emotionally, rather than rationally, persuaded to buy things.

The archive holds around 10 million items, including 50,000 commercials, housed in former barns in Norfolk. The writer recalls classics such as the Smash Martians, the PG Tips chimps, the Gold Blend couple whose 1993 kiss drew 30 million viewers, Ridley Scott's 1973 Hovis advert, and Gregor Fisher's Hamlet "Baldy Man". Staff including executive director John Gordon-Saker and deputy director Alistair Moir discuss how advertising shapes irrational brand loyalties, and how attitudes to cigarette advertising shifted after the 1962 Royal College of Physicians report linked smoking to cancer, leading to the 1965 TV ad ban and tighter advertising rules.