Unlike the blended teas many companies were producing, Brooke's teas were pure, high quality teas from India and China. Brooke realised the importance of advertising early on, introducing the slogan, "Good tea unites good company, exhilarates the spirits, banishes restraint from conversation and promotes the happiest purposes of social intercourse."[8]
The Tipps family (1956–2002)
In 1956, PG Tips began using anthropomorphic chimpanzees in their television advertisements. These were dressed in human clothes in the fashion of chimpanzees' tea party and were known as the "Tipps family." Their voices were often provided by celebrities, such as Peter Sellers, Donald Sinden and Bob Monkhouse. By 1958, PG Tips had risen from fourth to first place in the British tea market.[9] The chimpanzees were from Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.[10]
These advertisements were stopped in the 1970s after complaints made by animal rights organisations. However, the chimpanzees were brought back 18 months later when sales began to drop. The last 'Tipps family' advert was broadcast in January 2002.[11] The PG Tips chimpanzees spawned a spinoff in memorabilia which include trading cards and figurines. Prior to the chimpanzee-inspired cards, PG Tips had included trading cards modelled on cigarette cards, but targeted at children. Production of these ceased in 1999 for unknown reasons.
The notable 1988 advert with the Mr Shifter piano removal was voiced by Michael Robbins and Irene Handl.[12]
In January 2014, Twycross Zoo reported that 42-year-old Choppers was the last surviving PG Tips chimp, after her cohabitant Louis had died in his enclosure in July the previous year. Louis had played the bowler hat-wearing Mr Shifter in the advert with the punchline: "Dad, do you know the piano's on my foot?" "You hum it, son, I'll play it!"[10][13]
The T-Birds (2002–2005)
The "Tipps family" were replaced in January 2002, with a house-sharing group of claymation birds called the T-Birds (which consisted of Tom the owl, Maggie the pigeon, Pete the starling, and Holly the blue tit), animated by Aardman, who are the company behind Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. In Ireland, these commercials were still airing by the end of 2006, though advertising Lyons Tea (another Unilever brand), even though Holly was renamed as Niamh to fit in with Irish audiences.[14]
This led to PG Tips becoming a major partner with Wallace and Gromit's first film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, launched in October 2005. PG offered Gromit mugs on pack in the supermarket. According to The Grocer magazine, Unilever reported that during the Gromit mug promotion, PG Tips sales increased 600%. Wallace and Gromit also appeared in an advert with Lady Tottington (another character from the film) around the same time.
In 2005, PG Tips celebrated its 75th anniversary with special packs, including a limited-edition Golden pack, and a one-off Diamond tea bag. The Diamond tea bag cost £7,500, and was made by Boodles jewelers and used Makaibari Silver Tips (Imperial).
The T-Birds would sponsor Creature Comforts, a television show which would air on ITV.
Monkey (2007–2024, 2025–)
In January 2007, PG Tips reunited Johnny Vegas as Al and the ITV Digital Monkey character made by Paul Jomain, puppeteered by Nigel Plaskitt and Susan Beattie, and voiced by Ben Miller. ITV Digital had used the Monkey character in its own advertising but had entered administration in March 2002. In the end, ITV Digital's former terrestrial multiplexes were taken over by Crown Castle and the BBC to create the Freeview free-to-air service. The first commercial was titled "The Return", and saw Monkey returning to Al's house on a dark and stormy night, seeking to reignite their friendship after five years on the run. The Monkey character pointedly explains in said commercial that he is not a chimpanzee, he is a monkey, a nod to PG Tips' chimpanzee family.
One of the adverts was a spoof of the "deli scene" from the movie When Harry Met Sally.... In the advert, Monkey describes the taste of PG Tips by saying "Oh Yes" repeatedly similarly like in the movie. The advert then moves to a scene with a woman at a nearby table asking the waiter "I'll have whatever he's having". The advert ends with the tagline "How would you describe the taste?" It was first shown on 3 February 2010.[15]
Another advert, promoting the naturally occurring
A Tale of Two Continents
A short film entitled A Tale of Two Continents was released in March 2008.[21] It is an adventure film parody, starring Monkey "wanting to change the world one tea at a time". It was shown in cinemas from 21 March 2008 until 10 April, before the showings of family films such as The Spiderwick Chronicles and Horton Hears a Who!
It was also given free in special limited edition versions of PG Tips in early 2008 as an EcoDisc, a type of DVD that is thinner and more flexible due to it being made of a single layer of polycarbonate, instead of two layers. The limited edition package also featured a teatowel of the EcoDisc cover described as the "official merchandise" of the film.
