Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet. Hovis, as good for you today as it's always been. Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach. These are three of the most famous advertising campaigns ever produced, and all the work of Collett, Dickenson, Pearce & Partners.

There was something in the air at CDP that made it special. Some compared it with being in the Beatles. Others said it was like playing for a football club at the top of the Premier League. Certainly, CDP possessed an ethos driven by an unshakeable belief in creativity: the new, the brilliant, the witty and the vital. It was relentless in its search for ideas that not only contributed to the success of its clients, but also to the happiness of the nation. CDP commercials became as much a part of the fabric of British popular culture as Fawlty Towers, The Two Ronnies and Eric and Ernie.

In 2012, at an evening to mark the 50th anniversary of Design & Art Direction, CDP won yet another award - for being the 'most awarded agency' of the last 50 years.

This book tells the story of the ads that won these awards: how they were conceived and the men and women who dreamed them up. Whether you are a student of advertising, work in the business, or are simply a member of the public who remembers these ads with fondness, this book will entertain you.