Imagine a world without “1984,” “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” or “Taste the Rainbow.” It would be a lot less colorful, without the many seemingly far out campaigns that have become iconic not only in the ad world but mainstream culture.

While plenty of good ideas make it out of the boardroom, many others languish in obscurity, while others are watered down by the client or dismissed as “too weird.”

But inventive campaigns make people pay attention, which often translates into sales, and that’s where the advertising magic happens—people are entertained, and then they buy things.