Smash (instant mashed potato)
 | |
| Product type | Instant mashed potato |
|---|---|
| Owner | Premier Foods |
| Country | U.K. |
| Introduced | 1960s |
| Markets | U.K. |
| Previous owners | Cadbury |
| Tagline | "For Mash Get Smash" |
Smash is a brand of Instant mashed potatoes in the United Kingdom.
It was launched in the UK in the 1960s by Cadbury, which was primarily a manufacturer of confectionery at the time. Smash was reasonably successful. However, it was not until 1974 that Smash became popular in the convenience food market after Cadbury launched an advertising campaign by agency Boase Massimi Pollitt featuring the Smash Martians, who would watch humans preparing mashed potato the traditional way on television instead of using potato granules, and laugh at them.[1][2] The 1970s adverts and their 'For Mash Get Smash' catchphrase were voted TV ad of the century by Campaign Magazine, and 2nd best television advert of all time in a 2000 poll conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4, beaten by Guinness' Surfer advertisement from 1999.
The brand has since been sold by Cadbury and is now owned by Premier Foods who, using their Batchelors brand, launched a 'healthier recipe' version in 2006.[3] Smash continues to be popular in the UK, selling 140 million servings a year. The texture of Smash is not identical to that of real mashed potato, being somewhat smoother. In recent years, flavoured varieties of Smash have also been made available, including Cheddar & Onion and Buttery.
Accolades
The original 1970s advertisements have been featured in several "best ever television advertisements" lists.
| Creator | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 4/The Sunday Times | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest TV Adverts | 2000 | 2 | [4] |
| ITV | United Kingdom | ITV's Best Ever Ads (top 20 list) | 2005 | 1 | [5] |
"Smash" is also an abbreviation of the term "Smash that Retweet), popularised by Sarah Hanna and Gráinne Quigley (who would be quickly if she had a k) in an evening spent in Trinity Hall, in mid April of 2017. The term has various uses, meanings and interpretations, but often is used as a positive remark, exclamation or motivational phrase. It is deemed to be one of the most important and influential memes of 2017 by the meme authority "Memes Review" in their annual journal.
References
- ^ "Smash advert". YouTube.
- ^ "BBC News - ENTERTAINMENT - Martian ad a Smash hit". bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Esther Addley. "For mash get Smash, for ham get Spam: nostalgia puts 70s brands back in shops". the Guardian.
- ^ "UK TV Adverts - Fun Facts". uktvadverts.com.
- ^ "thinkbox - Classic Ads". thinkbox.tv.