Orange Tango Megaphone

The Withdrawn Toy Giveaway Advert

Forgotten Adverts · 2000

Archived on 13/08/2026

Associated With

Britvic / HHCL + Partners - advertiser or agency

Defining Feature

Orange Tango toy megaphone direct-response giveaway

Status

Discontinued - Historically withdrawn original promotion

Overview

Tango's 2000 Orange Megaphone advert invited viewers to claim a branded toy directly by telephone.

The commercial featured a young James Corden as the target of orange-haired men using toy megaphones to repeat or mimic his words. Its call to action invited viewers to phone for a Tango megaphone.

Britvic and HHCL + Partners withdrew the original advertising after complaints about bullying and possible copycat behaviour in schools. Reports dated 9 March described the advert as pulled, while a 23 March account called it suspended.

Why It Mattered

The campaign showed how a physical promotional item could create concerns beyond claims made for the drink itself. The megaphone was both the advert's central device and the object offered to viewers.

Its withdrawal became part of Tango's wider use of deliberately provocative advertising, while applying only to the original bullying-themed execution rather than the drink brand.

Commercial Setup

A young James Corden appeared as the target of a megaphone-wielding group.
Orange-haired men used toy megaphones to repeat or mimic his words.
The call to action invited viewers to phone for a Tango megaphone.

Withdrawal and Complaints

Reports published on 9 March 2000 said the advert had been pulled; a 23 March report described it as suspended.
Marketing Week reported more than 65 complaints at withdrawal, while later reporting referred to 83 complainants.
Period reporting said the ITC upheld complaints concerning bullying and copycat risk in schools.

Promotion Boundaries

The withdrawal applied to the original bullying-themed execution rather than the Tango drink brand.

Sources & Records

Independent Television Commission — Tango Megaphone complaint ruling — Describes the advert and toy offer, records 84 complaints and explains the regulator’s required withdrawal over bullying risk.
Middlesex University thesis — Tango’s advertising strategy — Documents the megaphone promotion and the joint briefing of HHCL and Triangle, linking the commercial to on-pack and shop advertising.
Tango Megaphone — surviving advertisement — Preserves the repeated dialogue and the invitation to phone for a Tango megaphone.
Simon R. Jones professional awards résumé

Gallery

Low-resolution commercial still showing a seated man in a grey shirt surrounded by five men, several holding bright orange megaphones close to him. — Source
Credit
Daily Mail
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Orange megaphones dominate this Tango scene, turning the promotional object into part of the advert’s noisy joke.

Black-background product image of an orange Tango megaphone with a black circular end cap beside a black Tango Orange can; the cap reads “Push here to shout” and “Speak here!” — Source
Credit
Simon R. Jones
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Tango megaphone made the brand's noisy advertising personality into an object customers could actually acquire and use.

Photograph of a printed Tango Megaphone advertisement showing a large orange-and-black megaphone with labelled features, offer instructions, and an application form. — Source
Credit
eBay UK
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The printed “Free Tango Megaphone” offer shows how viewers could obtain the object used in the campaign.

Low-resolution close-up commercial still of a young man's face marked with dark writing on his forehead, surrounded by men and two orange megaphone openings; small white text appears along the bottom. — Source
Credit
YouTube
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The campaign’s phone-number gag puts the call to action directly into the performance surrounding the megaphone offer.

Blue-background Tango Orange promotion showing a black Tango bottle, an orange-and-black megaphone, a portrait of a smiling man, and the telephone number “0906 19 19 500” with call-charge text. — Source
Credit
Tango / Britvic advertising film; still from the supplied Megaphone Hotline advert
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Megaphone Hotline advert invited viewers to take part in Tango's promotional joke, using a phone number to connect the television campaign to the giveaway.