Learn how Britain’s first TV ad teaches UK startups to build simple, credible brand storytelling—especially for climate change and net-zero transition markets.
What UK Startups Can Learn from Britain’s First TV Ad
Brian Palmer wrote the first TV commercial to air on British television in 1955. The ad was for Gibbs SR toothpaste, and it ran on the first night of ITV—Britain’s first commercial TV channel. Palmer died in December aged 96, and his story is more than advertising trivia. It’s a clean case study in what happens when someone spots a new channel early, commits to craft, and builds a business model around the change.
Most startups treat marketing like a late-stage add-on: “We’ll run ads when the product’s done.” Palmer’s career is the opposite. He treated a new medium as an opportunity to learn faster than everyone else—and that mindset is exactly what founders need right now, especially in the UK’s Climate Change & Net Zero Transition economy where public trust, proof, and clarity matter.
The point isn’t that your startup should buy TV. The point is that the principles behind the first British TV ad—simple message, sensory storytelling, distribution innovation, and smarter commercial terms—map neatly onto modern sustainable marketing, green brand storytelling, and demand generation.
The first British TV ad worked because it was brutally simple
The Gibbs SR ad’s core line was basically: the toothpaste is “as fresh as ice.” The visual was a toothbrush and toothpaste frozen in a block of ice. Black-and-white. No special effects. No sprawling brand manifesto.
That creative restraint is a lesson many climate and net-zero startups need. If you’re selling heat pumps, EV charging, carbon accounting software, or low-carbon construction materials, your buyer is already overloaded with competing claims. Simplicity is the differentiator.
A practical translation for net-zero and climate tech marketing
Answer first: one product, one promise, one proof point. Then build the story around it.
Use this three-line framework:
- Promise (outcome): What does your buyer get?
- Mechanism (how): Why does your approach work?
- Proof (evidence): What would a sceptic accept as credible?
Example (for a hypothetical building retrofit startup):
- Promise: “Cut heating bills by 20–30%.”
- Mechanism: “Room-by-room insulation + smart controls installed in two days.”
- Proof: “Measured savings across 120 UK homes, winter 2025.”
You’ll notice what’s missing: vague “eco-friendly” language. In 2026, with greenwashing scrutiny and tighter standards, clarity beats virtue-signalling.
Channel shifts reward the people who commit early (and properly)
Palmer landed the first TV-commercial writing job partly “by good luck” (the broadcaster picked brands “drawn out of a hat”). But luck didn’t do the work. He was 25, took the medium seriously, and later ran Y&R’s television operations. His boss initially thought TV advertising would “never be a major medium.” That’s the usual pattern: incumbents dismiss the channel until it’s too late.
For UK startups, the equivalent channel shifts aren’t just “TikTok vs LinkedIn.” They’re structural changes in how buyers research and decide:
- AI-assisted discovery (buyers asking ChatGPT/Perplexity what to shortlist)
- Proof-led procurement (audit trails, lifecycle emissions, compliance)
- Community-led trust (peer recommendations in Slack groups, industry forums)
- Creator distribution (engineers, retrofitters, and sustainability leads with real audiences)
What “commit early” looks like in 2026
Answer first: pick one emerging distribution edge and build an operating rhythm around it.
A realistic commitment might be:
- Publish one high-signal technical article per week (not fluffy thought leadership)
- Turn it into a 90-second founder video (same idea, different format)
- Repurpose into a sales enablement asset (one-pager + objection handling)
- Track one metric that matters (qualified demos, not impressions)
Palmer liked “the combination of words and sound and vision.” That combination is now: search + short video + believable evidence.
Innovation isn’t only creative—KMP’s business model matters too
Palmer co-founded Kingsley, Manton and Palmer (KMP) in 1964. The agency built a pioneering reputation partly because it pushed fee-based remuneration, not just commission, and created an independent media department for planning and buying.
That detail is gold for founders. It’s a reminder that marketing innovation is often commercial innovation:
- How you price
- How you package
- How you measure
- How you separate “strategy” from “execution”
The startup parallel: stop treating marketing as “content output”
Answer first: your go-to-market model is part of your brand.
For climate and net-zero products, buyers often need ongoing support: monitoring, reporting, maintenance, optimisation, training. If your pricing is a one-off sale but your buyer needs an ongoing outcome, you create distrust.
Consider these packaging shifts (common in sustainability and energy transition markets):
- Outcome-based pricing: paid per tonne of COâ‚‚ reduced, kWh saved, or compliance time saved
- Implementation + subscription: a paid onboarding/retrofit + recurring service
- Assurance layer: third-party verification or auditable reporting built into the offer
KMP’s move toward fees was effectively: “We’re paid for thinking and results, not hidden commissions.” That’s exactly the stance climate-conscious buyers respond to.
Storytelling built the early TV era—and it still sells climate solutions
The temptation in climate change and net zero transition marketing is to over-index on morality: “This is the right thing to do.” I’m firmly in favour of decarbonisation, but moral framing alone rarely closes deals.
Palmer understood something that remains true: people buy what feels real in their lives. In his quote about TV—“You could talk to people in their own homes”—the key word is homes. Advertising entered a personal space, so it had to connect.
A better stance for sustainable marketing
Answer first: sell the lived benefit, then justify the climate benefit.
Here are examples that consistently outperform abstract carbon messaging:
- “Your warehouse stays within temperature tolerance without overnight energy spikes.”
- “Your sustainability report won’t collapse in audit.”
- “Your retrofit schedule won’t shut the building for weeks.”
- “Your EV chargers won’t be down every time it rains.”
Once you’ve earned attention with lived outcomes, connect it to the net-zero narrative:
- Lower energy waste = lower emissions
- Better measurement = fewer bad decisions
- Faster retrofits = quicker carbon payback
People don’t ignore climate change. They ignore marketing that feels like homework.
A simple checklist: build your “first TV ad” moment
Startups love novelty, but Palmer’s story is a reminder that novelty only pays when you execute the basics.
Answer first: your “first TV ad” moment is the first time your message becomes unmistakable in a new channel.
Use this checklist before you publish or launch:
- One sentence you can’t misunderstand
- If your value proposition needs a paragraph, it’s not ready.
- One image or demo that proves it
- Ice block for “fresh as ice.” What’s your equivalent?
- One buyer you’re targeting this week
- Not “SMEs.” A role, sector, and urgency.
- One channel you can win
- Win means repetition and consistency, not a one-off post.
- One metric tied to revenue
- Pipeline created, demos booked, trials started.
This is especially relevant for green jobs and skills-heavy sectors (retrofit, renewables, sustainable transport). Your marketing also recruits partners and talent. Clear storytelling attracts the right people.
People also ask: does this mean startups should advertise on TV?
Answer first: no—unless you already have product-market fit and a repeatable funnel. TV can still work, but it’s rarely the first lever for early-stage startups.
What you should take from Palmer is:
- Treat new channels seriously early
- Make creative concrete and memorable
- Build commercial models that reinforce trust
If you do want a modern analogue to early TV, look at:
- YouTube (searchable intent + storytelling)
- Founder-led LinkedIn (distribution + credibility)
- Industry newsletters and podcasts (trust + repetition)
Brian Palmer’s real legacy: optimism plus standards
Palmer was described by friends as endlessly curious, generous, and optimistic. He also had standards—he cared about the craft and didn’t pretend the corporate side of advertising was always the fun part.
That mix is healthy for founders working on climate change and net zero transition goals. Optimism is necessary. Standards are non-negotiable. The sector is full of big promises and thin evidence; the brands that win will be the ones that communicate like adults.
If you’re building a startup in the UK right now, here’s the stance I’d copy from Palmer: act like the medium matters, because it does. Whether your “medium” is AI search, short-form video, or procurement-driven content, the opportunity goes to the teams who show up early and do it properly.
Where does that leave you this week? What’s the one message you can make as vivid as a toothpaste frozen in ice—and what proof can you attach to it so a sceptical buyer believes you?