'Mad Men' Final Season: 8 Of The Show's Greatest Advertising Campaigns And Pitches Before The Final Episodes Premiere

“Mad Men” – whose final episodes begin Sunday -- is a show about the advertising industry, and ad campaigns have played a central role in the acclaimed AMC show. From pitches to clients, to witty marketing slogans, watching Don (Jon Hamm), Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and Co. hatch some of the most creative ad campaigns in the business has been a lot of fun for seven seasons.

Here are the top eight ad campaigns and pitches so far in “Mad Men”:

8. Life Cereal – Season 4, Episode 6 (“Waldorf Stories”)

This scene is great thanks to how not-so-great Don is in the pitch meeting. Normally calm, cool and collected in front of clients, Don – spiraling downward at this point – pitches Life cereal while drunk, having just come from the Clio Awards. When the clients express dissatisfaction with the proposed tag line – following Don’s lackluster salesmanship – Don rattles off a list of tag lines from the top of his head, unaware one of them – the one the clients love – was a line he a stole from a prospective employee Don was then forced to hire.

7. Belle Jolie – Season 1, Episode 8 (“The Hobo Code”)

Don’s presentation for the “Mark Your Man” campaign for Belle Jolie lipstick is one of the great early pitches from the show, and gives us his jarring “I'm not here to tell you about Jesus” speech. The campaign is the first creative work from secretary Peggy, and Don’s strong belief in her idea is surprising. His intimidating demeanor in the meeting had fans on the edge of their seats.

6. Heinz Baked Beans – Season 5, Episode 7 (“At the Codfish Ball”)

This is not just one of the best pitch scenes in the series, but the true high point of Don’s marriage with Megan (Jessica Paré). After Megan learns from the client’s wife that Heinz plans on firing Don's agency, Don and Megan are forced to subtly make their pitch at the dinner table! The couple’s teamwork in winning the account is a riveting balancing act.

Watch the scene below:

5. Jaguar – Season 5, Episode 11 (“The Other Woman”)

Don’s assertive pitch to win Jaguar – built around Ginsberg’s (Ben Feldman) “something beautiful you can truly own” tag line – intercut with Joan (Christina Hendricks) spending a night with Jaguar’s Herb Rennet (Gary Basaraba) to seal the deal make this one of the series' most unsettling pitch scenes. Don urged Joan not to go through with it, but would the agency have won the account by his work alone?

Watch the scene below:

4. Heinz Ketchup – Season 6, Episode 4 (“To Have and to Hold”)

At this point in the series, Peggy has left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce for Cutler, Gleason and Chaough, and the secret pitches for Heinz ketchup are the first time the mentor (Don) and the mentee (Peggy) go head-to-head. Don is convincing with his “Pass the Heinz” pitch, but Peggy outshines the master with her bold call for a giant billboard in Times Square declaring Heinz the “only ketchup.”

Watch the scene below:

3. Lucky Strike – Season 1, Episode 1 (“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”)

Here is the first display of Don’s genius. Faced with new reports warning of the health risks of smoking, Don comes up with a new kind of campaign on the spot. He picks out a minor detail in the tobacco-making process – "It's toasted" – and repackages Lucky Strike as an artisanal alternative to other dangerous cigarette brands.

Watch the scene below:

2. Burger Chef – Season 7, Episode 7 (“Waterloo”)

With Don facing possible termination, he leaves the duties of pitching Burger Chef to Peggy in the Season 7 midseason finale. “Win this business and it will be yours,” he tells his protégée. Though nervous – having never pitched in front of Don – Peggy hits a home run. Building on the emotions in the room following the Apollo 11 moon landing the night before, Peggy presents a powerful campaign built around the fast-food chain being a place where Americans can recapture a sense of community and family.

1. Kodak Carousel – Season 1, Episode 13 (“The Wheel”)

One of the series’ most moving scenes. Don’s pitch for Kodak’s new slide projector – which he dubs a carousel for its power to invoke nostalgia – remains his finest moment as an ad man. His presentation features slides of his own family – which unbeknownst to the clients is falling apart – and Don’s powerful monologue about trying to recapture the happiness of the past is just as much for himself as it is for Kodak.