When you mention minimalism in advertising, most people tend to think of brands like Nike and sometimes Apple. Brands which get the message across without saying too much. However, in our books, the absolute god of minimalistic advertising is the famous news magazine, The Economist. The magazine's classic "white text on red background" (reflecting the magazine's masthead) ads remain unmatched in this regard. There was seemingly nothing special about them - just words in white on a red backdrop, with The Economist written in a corner. But to us, they represent the absolute apogee of clean, simple advertising. There are no models, no images, just two colours and the power of the written word, blended with wit and humour, often written by the legendary David Abbott. Here are some of our favourite ads that made us smile, think and appreciate what the advertiser was saying!