In the days before Netflix and the pause button for live TV, Scots were forced to sit through a slew of adverts in between their favourite programmes not on the BBC.

Even now, memorable slogans and catchy tunes have a tendency to rattle around in the psyche, with some ads attracting hundreds of complaints every year.

But Scottish marketeers have often cleverly harnessed the power of nationalism, releasing adverts that perfectly capture the nation's humour, pride and sheer vulgarity.

Here are a few of the ads so Scottish you'll never forget them.

In the early 80s an advertising agency was commissioned to create a slogan promoting the growth of Cumbernauld, a town once compared to Kabul.

The four words "What's it called? Cumbernauld!" assaulted the senses of anyone watching STV, opening a newspaper or arriving on domestic flights at Glasgow Airport.

Phil McCall's memorable phrase concluding the Knorr stock cube ad became a cornerstone of his career when it was broadcast in the early 80s.

The veteran actor went on to appear in Taggart, Trial and Retribution and landed a leading role in the BBC's Monarch of the Glen.

Scots travel agent Thorne Travel won an award after their cringeworthy advert went viral in October 2014.

Taking inspiration from glamorous Virgin Atlantic, the video featured the company's staff strutting through the streets of Kilwinning, accompanied by Mickey Mouse and a bizarre looking sea captain.

It quickly became an unlikely internet hit, clocking up over 1.5 million views in just nine days.

Still Game star Ford Kiernan voiced this frank public information film urging Scots to get tested for bowel cancer in 2013.

The ad was part of a £30m Scottish Government campaign to detect cancer early, backed by the likes of Sharon Osborne and Lynn Faulds Wood - but Kiernan's comical gravitas is what makes the clip so memorable.

The discount supermarket selected an unusual facet of Scottish life to celebrate when they launched an ad earlier this year featuring millions of midges.

While the tribute to the infernal two-winged insect is apt, the ad's plot is riddled with holes - namely the sunshine and shorts during a typical Scottish summer.

Dougie MacLean's emotional hit Caledonia saw a revival in 1991 when Tennent's channelled the track's unique blend of nostalgia and nationalism.

VisitScotland hijacked the idea following the Frankie Miller cover to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burn's birth.

The 2009 advert featured a number of famous Scottish faces performing the song including Amy McDonald, Eddi Reader and Sean Connery.

But Tennet's claimed the hit once again for their 2013 Caledonia Best campaign, in an ad so emotional that alcohol is not so much a luxury than a necessity.

Rory McCann is renowned among Game of Thrones fans as The Hound - a tortured, grotesque bodyguard with a penchant for butchery.

But the springboard for the 44-year-old's acting career was a 1999 ad series for Scott's.

McCann embodies the strapping Porage Oats man, who in one clip mistakenly wanders over an air vent, despite his hearty breakfast.

The list would be incomplete without a mention of AG Barr, whose masterful Irn-Bru ads have left Scots guffawing since the 80s "made from girders" tagline.

In the decades that followed, the fizzy drinks maker have produced increasingly more farcical campaigns, ranging from a goth's trip to Blackpool to a unique take on the Christmas classic, The Snowman.

Not to mention the unforgettable baby Fanny.