We at The Practice are big Mad Men fans, and naturally, we’re a little sad now that the hit show has come to an end. With much debate surrounding the finale, we were keen to share our thoughts, and also review our favourite campaigns from past seasons.

Social media users took to Twitter, calling the wrap up of Mad Men the “End of an Era”. Indeed, after seven seasons spanning eight years, the show has come to be a favourite among The Practice team for its melancholic storytelling, cultural roots, and classic advertising references. So there was no better way to end the show than with Mad Men’s protagonist, Don Draper, quietly meditating as the iconic jingle from the 1970s Coca-Cola ad, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” played in the background. We thought the premise was brilliant- we’re left with the thought that Don has perhaps found peace amidst a life-long struggle for self-acceptance. The ad itself was part of Coca Cola’s 1971 campaign, “It’s the Real Thing”, and shows how the beverage is enjoyed globally, uniting people of all different backgrounds and ethnicities. It’s arguably one of the most celebrated ads in history, and the finale of the show indicated that it was Don himself who created it, making it the perfect accolade to mark the end of an incredible advertising career. Not only that- the closing moment also perfectly references the pilot episode, in which Don states that advertising is about one thing; happiness.

Aside from a poignant and heartwarming end to the show, Mad Men has surely given its viewers a taste for the dawn of modern advertising campaigns. So which have been our favourites? Back in Season 1, we’re shown one of the best- when Don pitches for the Kodak Carousel. Based on the brand’s real-life ad from 1962, the storyline depicts Don envisaging Kodak’s new slide projector as a way to capture memories, and uses his own to sell it. He states: “It’s called a carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels, around and around and back home again to a place where we know we are loved.” We not only loved the campaign, but the way in which it was used as a plot device- Don yearns for the fantasy life he doesn’t have, free from the troubles that plague him.

Another favourite sees Sterling Cooper create an ad for Hilton Hotels with the strapline- “Your window on the world”. The campaign, based around the idea that Hilton hotels could transport the traveller to a multitude of locations, referenced the chain’s real-life ad, promoting its hotels across Europe. And then there was Peggy’s “Home is where the Heinz is”, featuring the company’s baked beans spinning in the air and “dancing” their way into the can below. It was a world away from what Heinz actually did in the 60s, with their TV campaigns aimed at promoting baked beans as a household staple. At this time, they created the strapline, “Beanz Meanz Heinz”, which was so popular it was voted as the best ad slogan ever. But that’s not to say we didn’t love Peggy’s “Bean ballet” concept too- if only it wasn’t rejected!

Most of all, we loved how the campaigns shown in Mad Men truly went above and beyond that of their real-life counterparts. Perhaps the best example of this was Peggy’s amazing concept for Playtex gloves, which aside from merely just stating (as the original did), that they would protect a woman’s hands from household irritants, instead made the gloves a symbol of touch. “A Woman’s Touch Can Stir the Heart of a Man”, and “A Woman’s Touch Can be her Soft Secret,” are the slogans used in the show- much more creative and innovative! Also for Playtex, which saw the original use Jane Russell as a spokes-model, Sterling Cooper conceptualized the brand to appeal to every aspect of a woman’s personality. Their slogan- “Nothing fits both sides of a woman better than Playtex”, drew on the premise that its bras were perfect whether the customer happened to be a “Jackie” or a “Marilyn.”

Did you watch the Mad Men finale? What did you think of the closing scene? And which ad campaigns depicted have been your favourite? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.