The British Egg Marketing Board worked with PR firm Mather and Crowther (later Ogilvy and Mather) to produce a long-running series of commercials extolling the health benefits of eggs for breakfast, premiering in 1958.
One of the best-remembered campaigns featured gloomy comic Tony Hancock and his maid, Mrs Cravatte (Patricia Hayes). His neighbour (Pat Coombs) was also featured in the advertisements.
Hancock made at least 15 ads for the Egg Marketing Board, which harked back to his Hancock’s Half Hour days.
Others who starred in the Egg Marketing Board campaign included Beryl Reid, Avis Bunnage, George Best, Dilys Laye, Jack Hulbert, and Marjorie Proops,
Campaign director Len Fulford became known as ‘the Eggman’, apparently the source of the reference in The Beatles’ song I Am the Walrus.
Author Fay Weldon is credited with coming up with “Go to Work on an Egg”, but she didn’t actually come up with the famous slogan. That honour belongs to another copywriter who Weldon was working alongside at Mather and Crowther in 1957.
