In the mid-1980s, Bergasol ran a series of magazine and billboard adverts for suntan oil. My recall of these is remarkable, since five minutes ago I rummaged around in my bag to find my phone, but by the time I located it had no memory of who I had been planning to call. And if I go upstairs to fetch something, I have to recite the name of it under my breath. But I digress. Where was I? Ah, yes. With suntan oil adverts that are burnt on to my retina decades later.
Two women sit on the edge of a pool wearing only silver bikini bottoms. They are facing away from the camera, so it’s not rude but definitely a bit spicy for the pre-internet era. They are identical, down to their french-plaited blonde hair, except one is pale and the other deeply tanned. The campaign ran with several taglines, but the one I recall best is where the pale woman says, “£4.50 for a suntan oil? You could buy three champagne cocktails for that.” To which her suntanned friend replies: “I never have to.”
