Dear John - BASF

...the icing on the cake was the fabulous singer Jacqui Fitzgerald. She totally owned it and got that torch thing I was looking for.

– Murray Grindlay, in his backgrounder on creating the music for this advert

It's interesting that Dear John, which is a rare case of a great idea and is still talked about in the US and UK, recently won best ad of the decade. It was made at the beginning of the decade, and still won best ad, which shows the 'great idea' was lost to commercials in the 80s.

– Director Tony Williams

It was, and probably still is, the most awarded commercial ever produced in New Zealand. It won a Clio award in New York and a Gold Lion in Cannes, among others. To stand on the stage at Radio City in New York to accept the Clio was a truly humbling experience.

– Advertising veteran Roger Brittenden, who co-wrote this ad, Channel magazine, October 2020