LEGENDS RETURN TO THE SPOTLIGHT: ADVERTISING BRINGS HISTORICAL ICONS BACK TO LIFE, INCLUDING SALVADOR DALÍ

10. 9. 2026 | 11 min read Napoleon sold cars and beer, Cleopatra promoted chocolate and cosmetics, Einstein became a symbol of genius, Edison of ingenuity, and Leonardo da Vinci of boundless human creativity. The advertising world has always had a soft spot for the great figures of history. A famous name works as an effective shortcut: within seconds, it can trigger associations that would otherwise take an entire brand story to build.

LEONARDO DA VINCI IN TV ADVERTISING: THE GENIUS WHO KNEW HOW TO SELL HIMSELF

18. 8. 2026 | 11 min read Leonardo da Vinci is an almost perfect historical celebrity for modern advertising: he embodies genius, ingenuity, creativity and the ability to stay ahead of his time. Even more interesting, however, is Leonardo’s historical connection with what we would today call marketing. Surviving sources show that Leonardo himself knew how to present his abilities very strategically to a potential patron and later created spectacular court entertainments that helped demonstrate the power and prestige of the rulers he served.

THOMAS ALVA EDISON IN TV ADVERTISING: THE INVENTOR WHO KNEW HOW TO SELL THE FUTURE

11. 8. 2026 | 10 min read Thomas Alva Edison appears in advertising as a symbol of technological progress, breakthrough ideas and the moment when a new technology transforms everyday life. But he is interesting to advertising creatives for another reason as well: his public image was not created long after his death. As early as the 1870s, demonstrations of the phonograph and extraordinary press interest turned him into an international celebrity. Later, his products were promoted through paid public exhibitions and spectacular comparative “tone tests”. Edison is therefore not merely a historical figure retrospectively transformed by advertising into a marketing symbol. From the very beginning, his own career also unfolded at the intersection of technological development, public demonstrations and the ability to capture an audience’s attention.

THE EMPEROR IN THE SERVICE OF BRANDS: NAPOLEON STORMS TELEVISION SCREENS

4. 8. 2026 | 11 min read Napoleon's life offers advertisers almost everything a great story requires: a meteoric rise, military victories, immense power, a carefully cultivated public image, and a dramatic downfall. Brands therefore draw not only on his likeness, but also on themes of great ambition, defeat, exile and return. In the most successful advertisements, Napoleon serves not as historical decoration but as an active participant whose encounter with a product changes a story the audience already knows.

ADVERTISING REWRITES HISTORY: CLEOPATRA IS PORTRAYED AS A SEDUCTIVE BEAUTY IN TELEVISION COMMERCIALS, BUT IN REALITY, SHE PROBABLY HAD A PROMINENT NOSE AND CHIN

30. 7. 2026 | 9 min read More than two thousand years have passed since her death, yet she remains one of those historical figures whose image is still instantly recognisable across cultures, making her highly appealing to creatives in the advertising industry. Rather than depicting the real Egyptian ruler, advertisers draw on the image of a seductive queen surrounded by luxury, an image shaped over the centuries by Roman propaganda, art and Hollywood. Her lover Julius Caesar has also enjoyed a successful advertising career. Let us explore how television advertising transforms famous figures from antiquity into comic heroes, brand ambassadors and users of modern services.

FROM REQUIEM TO CHOCOLATE: WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART’S SECOND LIFE IN ADVERTISING

23. 7. 2026 | 11 min read He was a genius and resolutely individual – eccentric, playful and instantly recognisable more than two centuries after his death. That is why the advertising industry continues to draw on his aura as a genius, a rebel, and an eternal child. And it is not only Mozart himself who appears in commercials, but also his music, which can lend a story elegance, tension, lightness or humour in a matter of seconds.

EINSTEIN WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZED: TODAY, HIS FACE SELLS BREAD, MOBILE PHONES AND ELECTRICITY

17. 7. 2026 | 11 min read Tousled white hair, a distinctive moustache and a thoughtful expression are all it takes for viewers to recognise Albert Einstein within seconds. For advertising creatives, he provides universal shorthand for genius, intelligence and scientific progress, as well as likeable eccentricity. Einstein has consequently appeared in adverts for all kinds of products – from gluten-free bread and telecommunications services to smart electricity meters.

GIANTS IN ADVERTISING: FAMOUS HISTORICAL FIGURES AS THE FACES OF BRANDS

14. 7. 2026 | 8 min read What do Bedřich Smetana composing My Country, Leonardo da Vinci dreaming of flight and George Washington behind the wheel of an American car have in common? At first glance, nothing. Yet there is a connection: television advertising. Famous historical figures provide an effective form of shorthand. All it takes is a few seconds, a costume or a signature work, and the advert becomes a time machine, transporting viewers into the past.