The Power of What’s Left Unsaid

Nearly 30 years later, this ad for Impulse Body Spray remains one of the most effective spots I’ve ever seen.

I came across an old (2010!) post on here this week and realized the video link was broken. Fixing it sent me back to the ad I’d written about. It’s even better than I remembered.

It’s a 1998 commercial from the UK, created by Ogilvy. Check out the video below. Everything works. The casting, the pacing, the music (“Female of the Species” by Space), even a Quentin Crisp cameo.

The setup is simple: A young woman is walking down the street carrying a bag of groceries. She bumps into a young man, everything goes flying, and he kneels down to help her pick things up. He’s clearly smitten.

Then his boyfriend taps him on the shoulder.

She looks puzzled for a moment, then scans her surroundings. Another male couple. Quentin Crisp. A small dog with a spiked collar. The young man glances back at her with an apologetic shrug and rueful smile. Then the tagline: “Men can’t help acting on Impulse.”

While it’s been noted as the first UK commercial to feature an openly gay couple, the relationship isn’t explained or emphasized. It’s simply part of the world in which the story takes place.

Yet, what looks effortless on screen is actually very carefully constructed. Every detail in the scene helps her, and us, understand where she is without it being spelled out. It’s a reveal, but it doesn’t behave like one. The ad trusts the viewer to connect the dots.

When the idea is strong, you don’t need to over-articulate it. Let the audience do a bit of the work themselves, and they become invested in the story.