Orange Tango “Megaphone” Promotion

Forgotten Adverts · 2000

Created by HHCL + Partners for Britvic’s Tango brand, this 2000 television-and-direct-response campaign showed a young cola drinker confronted at home by orange-haired men using toy megaphones to mimic his words. Viewers were invited to call for their own Tango megaphone, but the original advert was withdrawn in March 2000; its exact first-transmission date is not known.

Why It Mattered

It became a notable British advertising-regulation case, with complaints later upheld over the risk that its behaviour could encourage bullying or harmful imitation, particularly in schools. The episode also illustrated that BACC pre-clearance did not prevent later ITC action.

Campaign Mechanics

The commercial’s orange-haired men used toy megaphones to repeat or mimic the young man’s words.
The call-to-action invited viewers to phone for a Tango megaphone.
The Guardian reported that more than 70,000 young people had called for megaphones before withdrawal.

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.
Reporting from March 2000 said the ITC upheld complaints concerning bullying and copycat-risk in school settings.

Record Boundaries

2000 is the supported archive year; no precise first-transmission date has been verified.
The original bullying-themed execution is historically withdrawn, not evidence that Tango itself was discontinued.
No verified institutional holding or rights-cleared record for the physical megaphone, clips or stills has been identified.