75 Creative Campaigns That Caught Our Eye in 2021
Bits of creative inspiration for the modern marketer from the past six months
Each Friday, my agency puts out a short email newsletter with three things that caught our eye that week—creative campaigns, PR stunts, art installations, branded entertainment and other inspiring bits.
The goal is simple: lots of marketers get so mired in the day-to-day on their own brands, they often miss interesting marketing ideas that are happening in other industries. We highlight three each week and, hopefully, inspire people as they think about the next creative activation for their brand.
If you don’t already subscribe (you should!), here are the 75 ideas that caught our attention over the past six months:
01. The Green Screen Shirt
Love this idea from agency Zulu Alpha Kilo for luxury menswear brand Harry Rosen. Utilizing the Zoom tech we’re all WAY too familiar with these days, they’ve created the world’s most versatile dress shirt and the perfect Father’s Day gift. Yes, it’s one of those stunt-y, one-off things designed to squeeze earned media juice, but it’s charming and clever and has a sense of humor about itself.
Watch the video and read more at AdAge.
02. Apple’s “Mermaid” spot
Can you imagine having Apple’s ad production budget? Sigh. The rights for this famous tune from “The Little Mermaid” must have cost a fortune. And there are a million OCPs. (That’s “on camera principals” meaning “actors you have to pay residuals.”) But production envy aside, this ad from TBWA/Chiat/Day Media Arts Lab taps into nostalgia for a beloved Disney classic AND tells an important product benefit story: the iPad is freedom.
Click here to watch the spot.
03. Bo Burnham’s Inside
If you’re feeling at all guilty about your lack of creative output during the pandemic, this will either make you feel a lot better or a lot worse. Burnham spent the year making this solo comedy special and went a little nutso doing it, but the result is amazing. It’s dark, funny, and might just be the best musical ever written about modern life, isolation, and a WFH decent into madness. Marketers will squirm at the brand purpose skewering (“Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against lyme disease?”) and it raises the question, “Are we all too online?” But it feels like a must-watch after the last 18 months.
Watch it on Netflix.
(It really should be watched without any spoilers, but if you need convincing, here’s a longer peek.)
04. Indeed shows power of pronouns
There’s a lot of discussion in our biz about how brands “show up” for Pride month. (If all you’re doing is slapping a rainbow on your logo, be prepared for criticism.) Job search site Indeed has a new ad that is both relatable and educational. We all know that feeling of nervousness that comes with a job interview. But this spot shines a light on the extra layer of anxiety that trans and non-binary people may feel. It tells a story with understated grace and emotion and teaches something too — how we can all have more #EmpathyAtWork.
Watch the spot. The site it drives to is worth a visit, too.
05. New font inspired by a cow palace
Designer Ben Zotto lives at the intersection of font nerd-ery and local pride. A few months back, he launched a typeface based on the unique lettering of San Francisco street signs. But this week, he upped the ante by releasing a new font based the Bay Area’s lovable-but-oft-maligned convention hall, The Cow Palace. Working with just seven existing letters — the “C,” “O,” “W,” “P,” “A,” “L” and “E” — Zotto had to invent 19 characters, plus punctuation. The result is a 70s retro-futurist fever dream called “Moonjumper Alpha.”
Click here to read about the new font in the San Francisco Chronicle.
06. Time-traveling introduction
The politician intro ad is a staple of American politics. But they’ve really gone to the next level in the last few years, in terms of narrative structure and filmmaking craft. (Remember this gem from MJ Hegar a few years ago? Regardless of your politics, the production quality rivals most Hollywood films.) There’s a new contender for “best political intro ad ever” from Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Dr. Chris Jones (created by Putnam Partners.) Dr. Jones is a minister AND a physicist and this ad finds an inspired metaphor to tie those worlds together and tell a story that spans from the early 1800s to today.
Watch it on YouTube.
07. Bud pun FTW
It’s that time of year when brands roll out their patriotic Fourth of July ads. Budweiser dropped a new one this week (produced by Vayner Media) that is big and bloated and dripping with nostalgia, but also loaded with enough winks that you roll with it. (Sorta like America, right?!) Plus, it’s fun to see Bill Pullman reprise his role from “Independence Day” on its 25-year (!) anniversary. The promotion also includes a giveaway, a sweepstakes, and a donation to Direct Relief.
Watch the spot. Read more about the campaign in AdAge.
08. Fast, funny 15s from Hotwire
Long brand films are lovely, but remember ads? Where you have to communicate your benefit in 30 seconds? (Haha, who we kidding? Nobody makes 30s any more. It’s all about 15s and 06s these days!) That’s why it’s good to see this campaign of hard-working 15s from Hotwire (produced by Fallon.) Fast, funny and not too over-stuffed with messaging, they make a clear point: why book a cheap hotel when you can book an expensive hotel for cheap.
Click here to watch and see the campaign. Read more in Adweek.
09. What is color?
If you’ve ever sat in a creative review where a color debate breaks out, you know that it can be complicated, subjective, and diabolically hard to unravel. A gorgeous new short film (produced by Oddfellows) for Adobe’s Creativity, Explained series gives a good overview of color theory in design and explains why beauty is often in the eye of the beholder.
Watch the film at Colossal.
10. Do you know this brand?
The holy grail of branding is to make your brand so iconic that you can actually remove your brand and people still know it’s your brand. TBWA\Paris has been crafting minimalist ads for a certain burger franchise for sometime now. (And, let’s be honest, they’re the sort of award-bait “print” executions that help you pad your medal count at a certain south-of-France creativity competition.) But they’re well done and a nice anecdote to “Can you make the logo bigger?”
Read more about the ads in Muse By Clio and Fast Company.
11. Heinz targets “big bun” and “big wiener”
These days, a lot of “advertising” is actually PR. Sure, brands still make ads, but many realized that stunt-y “ideas” are a way to capture the attention of content-starved editors/segment producers and generate earned media attention. This week’s example is from Heinz (and Canadian agency Rethink) — a video and petition to finally sync up the number of hot dogs and buns you get in a single pack. (Yes, just like that Steve Martin rant from “Father of the Bride.”) A free change.org petition + a video and simple site + some PR and social amplification dollars = a lot of attention for the brand.
Click here to watch the video and see the campaign. Read more in Adweek.
12. Plastic pop-up makes you go 🤔
Marketers are probably horrified and a little ashamed when artists turn their satirical eye toward the world of commerce. (Omega Mart in Las Vegas is as subversive as it is surreal.) A new pop-up “grocery store” in Los Angeles is stocked with food made entirely of plastic. “Fake Food, Real Garbage,” was created by artist Robin Frohardt. The installation is the sort of immersive experience that many brands want to create for their customers — but makes an eye-opening point about the permanence of the “disposable.”
See photos and read more at Colossal.
13. Superhumans back in another epic spot
The Olympics ads are here. The U.K.’s Channel 4 always sets a high bar with their promos, and this year’s entry into their long-running “Superhumans” series is no exception. Focused on the U.K.’s paralympic team, it’s a visceral look the hard work behind the glory. Also, always interesting to see the Europeans making 3-minute ads when so many U.S. brands are demanding shorter and shorter assets.
Watch the ad. Read the story at MuseByClio.
14. Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream
In last week’s newsletter, we pointed out that a lot of today’s “advertising ideas” are really just PR stunts. This week produced another great example: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream. The partnership with Brooklyn artisanal ice-cream maker Van Leeuwen is not the first time Kraft’s trotted out this headline-grabbing strategy; they turned their noods pink for Valentine’s Day and rolled out pumpkin spice flavor. 🤮 Yes, it’s a gimmick, but it’s earned media catnip for the brand.
Today has the ice cream story. Eater says it’s good.
15. Make your own candy jams
(Disclosure: I worked on this, so this plug might veer a wee bit into self-promo, but it’s also just cool AF.) SweeTARTS released a new online music mixer called SweetBEATS, where fans play with candies to make beats and enter to win a studio session with Christina Aguilera. Created by Duncan Channon and Wildlife, the mixer is really a Trojan horse product line exploration, but it’s so fun, consumers actually enjoy the edu-candy-cation.
See the mixer at makesweetbeats.com. Read about it at Marketing Dive.
16. Freestyle skate-dancing for Facebook
With skateboarding making its Olympic debut, get ready for lots of ads featuring boards, flips…grinders? (OK, we may have reached the limit of our skate vocabulary.) This one for Facebook from Droga5, directed by FKA twigs, is a gorgeous modern dance piece with a great track. Sometimes just showing “the thing” is all you need.
Watch the ad. Read about the campaign and see the other spots at MuseByClio.
17. Beer can teaches you to play guitar
Here’s another one of those activations where you ask: is it an ad or PR stunt or a product innovation or all three at once? SingleCut Beersmiths (with Zulo Alpha Kilo’s help) released beer cans that teach you guitar chords. Using a pop-top guitar pick and Snapchat filters, we can’t vouch for the quality of the instruction, but it’s a top-notch buzz builder. Check out of the explainer video below for a look at the cool packaging, too.
See it on their site. Watch the explainer video. Read about it on Guitar World.
18. Lil Nas X promos his new “Baby”
When it comes to marketing, many brands use celebrity as a shortcut: stick celeb X who appeals to demo Y into ad Z. But there’s an elite level of celebrity who are media savants; who understand how to tap into what’s hot and not just grab a cultural moment, but create one. Lil Nas X is one of those. He’s been featured in several ads, but this week he put one out for himself, to hype his new single “Industry Baby.” It’s bold, savvy, confident and meme-filled. And a reminder that to break through in culture, you have to take risks.
Watch it. Read about it in The Drum and USA Today.
19. There she is, Miss America
Soooo many Olympics ads out right now; there are lots we could highlight. But we’re suckers for using an old song in a new way. Dick’s Sporting Goods has a new spot out (by Anomaly) that uses the Bert Parks’ rendition of the old theme song from the Miss America pageant. But it’s a different kind of pageantry, featuring women in football, fencing, fighting and more.
Watch the spot. Read about it in Adweek or MediaPost
20. Bye, bye bug bites
One of those little ideas that make you smile: To promote their new seltzer, Texas brewer Lone Star turned their neon sign into a bug zapper. Outdoor bars are plentiful in Texas and, in the summer months, so are mosquitos. Patrons not only escape the pests, they also can’t help but cheer every fatal zap. The experiential activation from Callen travels to various venues this summer.
Read more in AdAge.
21. Uncomfortable truths
We like these funny family-slice-of-life spots from Grey for MassMutual. In one, parents try to figure out which kid is going to take care of them in retirement. (Spoiler: none of the options are great.) In another, a family lists all of the terrible things that could happen to dad. And another one highlights the fact that most kids probably aren’t going to get athletic scholarships.
Click the links above to watch the spots. Read about the campaign in AdAge or Yahoo.
22. Big hand for Groupon
Fun! Dressing people up in big hand costumes is the sort of eye-catching, not-take-ourselves-too-seriously advertising we need more of, these days. This new ad for Groupon from FCB is strategically smart and highly memorable.
Watch the spot. Read about the campaign at MuseByClio.
23. Louis Vuitton got game
Brand birthdays are weird. There’s a desire to make hay of the milestone, but do normal people really care? Well, when you’re celebrating your 200th (!), you gotta do something special. Luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton celebrated two centuries with the launch of a gorgeously crafted, downloadable video game. It combines a rich journey through he brand’s heritage and innovation. Plus, you can unlock access to NFT art (which would take too long to explain here, but the link below has details.)
Read more at Wallpaper. Download the game.
24. Whisky barrel BBQ
Those of you who know me, know that I have a sweet spot for Crown Royal, the fine blended Canadian whisky. So OF COURSE, the announcement of these branded BBQ wood chips, made from old whisky barrels, caught my eye. Licensing deal meets brand extension meets “create a new use occasion.”
Read about it at Bevnet. (Yeah, apparently there’s a site called “Bevnet.”)
25. Water affected by climate change
The climate news this week is depressing. And we have very sober views about how much advertising can really spur public action. But this new campaign from nonprofit Water Aid focuses on personal stories of climate impacts. It’s impossible to tell the full climate story in a 30-second spot, but these shed light on how extreme weather makes it harder for the world’s poorest people to get clean water.
Watch “Flood”, “Natural Disaster” and “Drought”. Read about the campaign in The Drum and AdAge.
26. Match stop-motion effects
Designer Tomohiro Okazaki’s stop motion skills are unmatched. (See what we did there?) Using household matches, strips of paper, paint, putty, and other household objects, the practical effects in this new animation are endlessly inventive and just plain delightful.
Watch it. Read about it at Colossal.
27. Great FX for…who again?
They don’t make many of them like this anymore. And, honestly, can’t decide if that’s good or bad. There used to be a lot of these — cinematic ads that are really mini-movies. Beautifully shot. Lots of special FX. Expensive to produce. And the brand? Oh, yeah…we stuck it in there at the end. No denying the craft of this one and bet it was a hoot to make. But if you barely remember what it was advertising, is it a “good” ad?
Watch the ad. Read about it in Shots
28. Peanut butter rap
Sure, this one is based on a silly premise (what if Ludacris rapped with peanut butter in his mouth), but it’s pulled off with such style, you have to tip your hat. The campaign for Jif is by agency PSOne.
Watch the short film. Read about the campaign in Muse by Clio.
29. Tennis balls for all
The U.S. Tennis Association looks to change perception of the sport with this new spot from Yard NYC. The kinetic ad aims for a less elitist, more inclusive view of tennis featuring players of all ages, ethnicities and abilities. And the location and conditions of the courts are equally diverse. Plus, we like an anthem spot that wraps itself up in just 30 seconds.
Watch the spot here (you have to scroll down a bit). Read about the campaign in AdAge.
30. British berries
This one is a long walk for a jam sandwich (you’ll appreciate how terrific that pun is in a moment) but we applaud any brand looking for new ways to attract attention. Navigation app Waze highlights how it can help avoid congestion on the U.K.’s roads this summer by…creating its own jam out of our wild berries grown on British roadsides? Just go with it.
See the site. Read about it at AdAge
31. Weenie rides, anyone?
What if you ordered a Lyft and the Wienermobile showed up to chauffeur you? That’s the idea behind this collab between the ride sharer and the wienie seller. Sometimes these co-branded promotions feel a little one-sided, but this is a nice one that lifts (pun intended) both brands.
Watch the social ad. Read about the campaign at Marketing Dive. And, as an example of how this kind of thing is PR catnip, you can also read about it in Food&Wine.
32. Eyeball-grabbing exercise vid
Advertising is a career where you can walk into a meeting and say, out loud, “I think we should make an 80s-themed workout video about shaving the ol’ lady garden.” And then, instead of getting fired, the client hands you a bunch of money to go make said video. This week, Eos shaving cream put out “Vagnastics” by those cheeky imps from Mischief. It thinks it’s a little more hilarious than it really is, but it’s definitely an idea that makes you stop scrolling through your social feed.
Watch the video (if you dare.) Read about it at Adweek.
33. TikTok gets “fancy”
There are a lot of artistes at ad agencies and snobbery about what’s “good” creative. It’s easy to look down on the “ripped from TikTok” ads, but this one is probably going to be a monster hit for Applebees. The campaign, by Grey, uses the country single “Fancy Like” by Walker Hayes, which namechecks the chain restaurant. The singer’s 15-year-old daughter created a TikTok dance to the tune and it went viral. A’bees moved fast to turn the song (and dance) into its new anthem spot.
Watch it. Read about it in AdAge.
34. Alpine ale gets airy
This well-crafted, floaty spot sends the viewers (and the main characters) soaring through an alpine landscape. Fred & Farid made the spot for Edelweiss Beer and it does indeed deliver on the “Feel the Alps” tagline. The absence of music makes this one stand out — the hills are alive with the sound of, well, just the hills, actually.
Watch the spot. Read about it at Little Black Book.
35. Cold beer, warm heart, can’t lose
How can college football fans manage the stress and tension of the upcoming season? With a weighted hoodie from Coors Light, of course. Playing on the “weighted blanket” trend that purports to have all sorts of calming properties, this $150 piece of merch is another brand activation for the “PR catnip” file. (And a wider rollout of a Rethink Canada idea from basketball season.)
Read about it at popculture. Get your own at CoorsLight.com.
36. Paid to put your name on it
Personalized cans are nothing new, but this Labor Day activation has some interesting new wrinkles. Budweiser is inviting people to nominate hardworking Americans. Not only can they win a chance to have their name emblazoned on a personalized Budweiser can, they can also win three months wages. The idea also came from the Upwork CoLab brand partnership program designed to connect freelancers with brands.
See the site. Read about it at AdAge or the press release.
37. Turtle power
This rollerblading turtle spot came out a few weeks ago, but we just caught it and it’s charming. See if you can guess what it’s for before the reveal at the end.
Watch the spot. Read about it at Shots.
38. Match made in wardrobe heaven
Elton John and Lil Nas X is an inspired pairing. We’re not sure we believe either one of these stars has their dinner delivered via Uber Eats, but the costumes are bold and beautiful and these spots do exactly what they’re designed to do — catch your eye.
Watch spot one, spot two, spot three. Read about the campaign at MuseByClio.
39. This video game is bananas
A discount grocery store made an old school video game about shopping and then they asked, “How could we make this even more meta?” and then said, “I know, let’s make the video game controllers out of bananas” and it’s all just so random and weird but it’s certainly not a copy of grocery store promotions that have been done to death and they get major points for originality.
Read about the campaign at glossy.
40. Hollywood in your pocket
Apple’s advertising has been so good for so long, it’s easy to take it for granted. Yes, money is no object for them and they attract top-notch talent, but they know what to do with that talent. Their latest (by TBWA\Media Arts Lab) shows how their new iPhone pro camera is as good as having a professional movie camera in your pocket. They showcase tech without ever making it feel like hardware. (For an example of how easy it is to ruin the magic, compare the new Windows ad where all the laptop shots and app logos break the spell.)
Watch the spot. See behind the scenes. Read about the campaign at AdAge.
41. Real scoops
Sometimes an ad becomes part of the pop culture zeitgeist. That’s certainly true of Geico’s “Scoop, There It Is!” spot (by The Martin Agency) that first aired last Christmas. Now they’ve turned it into a limited run of real ice cream that a few lucky fans can win via a social media contest.
Rewatch the original spot. Read about the new ice cream. Read about the history of the spot.
42. Stay in the Hundred Acre Wood
If you’ve worked in advertising in the last 10 years, you’ve probably pitched a branded AirBNB idea at some point. But this one is damn charming and the details are beautifully crafted. Disney partnered with AirBNB to create Winnie the Pooh’s treehouse and you can stay there.
See the house. Read about it at Thrillist.
43. In-home advertising
Sometimes we see stuff and think, “Damn it, I wish WE had done that.” This is one of those. INDOOR advertising for Pabst Blue Ribbon. From the good people at Callen. How much would it take for you to turn your shower curtain into an ad for PBR?
Read about the campaign and see the video at Fast Company.
44. Outdoor treats
Simple, charming, and effective. How does the UK’s Channel 4 promote a new season of the Great British Bake Off? By turning outdoor ads into sweet treats.
Read about the the campaign and see the outdoor ads at Creative Review.
45. Gaming is good for you
Think video games rot your brain? Well, this campaign from W+K for HP’s Omen gaming system begs to differ. Hardcore gaming qualifies you to do surgery, fly planes, and run for office.
See the ads and read about the campaign at MusebyClio.
46. Long time, no see
With Covid on the wane in Brussels, a certain burger chain is celebrating the opportunity to eat together again with verrrrry long trays. This simple idea from TBWA\Belgium for McDonalds is the sort of micro-activation that you do at one location, but the resulting video becomes social/PR fodder for the whole chain.
Read about the campaign and see the video at MuseByClio.
47. Musical bubbles
In the olden days, most B2B advertising was deadly dull — filled with “speeds and feeds” stats designed to dazzle the bean counters, not stir emotion. Today, most “Bs” realize there’s a human behind that “2B.” Spotify’s new campaign by FCB New York taps into a great insight (we’re in our own little bubble when we have our headphones on) and shows how valuable that can be to its advertisers.
Watch the spot. Read about it.
48. Innovation rights wrongs
The big budget “walk through history” ad is well-trod territory, but RG/A has a nice new one for Roku. It’s a fun look at historical moments of inspiration and innovation. Not sure a button on the TV remote rises to the same level, but some clever copywriter sold the hell out of the idea that “OK” are the middle two letters in Roku, and for that we tip our hat.
Read about the campaign and see the ad.
49. Two turntables and a demo shown
DJ’s for breast cancer awareness was the partnership we never knew we needed, but this is pretty great. From Ogilvy Social Lab in Belgium.
Watch the video.
50. Make a run for the emoji
The scale of this activation is pretty huge — in 23 markets around the world, Taco Bell (with help from Deutsch LA) let people turn the taco emoji into “IRL tacos.”
Read about it at the Drum.
51. D’oh! couture
Fashion brand Balenciaga partnered with Fox sitcom The Simpsons to unveil its Summer 2022 collection. One of those I-did-not-see-this-collab-coming-in-a-million-years pairings, the mini-episode is an inspired attention getter.
Read about the campaign. Watch the mini-episode.
52. Big behemoth
Don’t you wish you could have been at the meeting when they pitched “a vegan Godzilla?” Creative studio Uncommon made this spot for U.K. casual-dining chain Wagamama.
53. Buff bears
Don’t you wish you could have been at the meeting when they pitched “teddy bears on steroids?” Mother made this spot for Ikea.
54. Bad babies
Don’t you wish you could been at the meeting when they pitched “what if we did a super authentic look at parenting?” OK, we’ve ALL done that pitch a bunch of times, but this charming new brand anthem by Red & Co. for Babyganics is a salute to perfectly imperfect parenting.
55. Burberry takes flight
It’s a rare thing when an ad captures a real feeling of magic. That’s exactly what Megaforce did in Burberry’s latest. Describing this piece of film will just ruin it. Go watch. Definitely one of our our favorites of 2021.
Watch it. Read about it. Check out this behind-the-scenes.
56. Ford lets ’em fight
Everybody in the ad business has had this dream: “There’s a great script in this envelope. You can have it for free, but you have to agree to produce it exactly as written.” That’s the deal John Oliver made with one local car dealer. The resulting ad is a bonkers domestic psycho-drama (?!) where a married couple fights…but also plugs the local Ford dealership and now it has 3 million views in its first two days.
57. Sleight of hand
This isn’t advertising, it’s art. Sadeck Waff choreographed this dance performance for the Paralympics hand-off ceremony. “Mesmerizing” is an over-used word, but it actually applies here.
58. Massive costume
Sometimes the best ideas are simple and obvious, but executed really well. Kit Kat’s Halloween idea: you and three friends can win a chance to wear the Kit Kat costume.
Read about it.
59. Murder dad
Pretty sure this idea’s been pitched before over the years, but life insurance companies are usually pretty risk-adverse (ha!) when it comes to creative advertising. So Ladder gets extra kudos for making this one: life insurance so good, your loved ones may want you dead.
60. Oatly’s meta ad
Oatly is a brand that has FUN with its marketing. They don’t take themselves too seriously (see their Super Bowl spot from earlier this year) and as a result, their advertising is more playful and interesting than 99% of the stuff out there. Their latest: an ad inside an ad inside an ad inside an ad…(it keeps going.) It’s super meta and maybe one of those things that only ad people like, but it made us smile.
Watch the Instagram post that explains it best and read about it.
61. SEE photo hens
Vital Farms (with help from agency Preacher) wanted to show how fresh its eggs were, so they let their hens photograph their latest campaign.
Watch the video. Read about the campaign.
62. SMELL doggie smells
If you’re going to do a local activation, figure out a way to make it bigger than just the single market where it will take a place. Petco (with help from Droga5) did just that with the launch of their new SoHo store. This one’s got it all — out of home, scent-activated experiential, and a nice wrap-up video for the socials.
Read about the campaign, see the OOH, and watch the video.
63. TASTE sweet oranges
Sometimes a simple observation can be the spark for a good creative idea. Like “Oof, when I brush my teeth after drinking a glass of orange juice, my mouth tastes like dirty pennies.” So OJ brand Tropicana (with help from agency Cramer-Krasselt) made orange-flavored toothpaste. No, it’s not a Super Bowl-ad sized idea, but it’s the kind of nugget that helps generate social engagement for the brand.
Watch the video. Read about the campaign.
64. KFC bucket sweater
Regular readers of this newsletter know that we’re suckers for brand ideas that are PR/social media catnip. This week’s winner might be the holiday chicken bucket sweater from KFC. Or, to use its proper name, the “Finger Lickin’ Chicken Mitten Bucket Hugger.”
Read about it.
65. Lego for grownups
Lego’s rolling out a new global campaign targeting the, ahem, mature brick-builder. Funny spots highlight Lego as an antidote to life’s annoyances. The idea even extends to an adult-specific catalog.
Watch the spot. Or watch this one. Read about the campaign. See the catalog.
66. Beer therapy
Not 100% sure whether we love or we hate this one, but it definitely grabbed our attention. Apparently we’re entering an era of Covid-tising where the pandemic symptoms are an inspiration for marketing stunts. This French brewery has a new beer line…that can help you regain your lost-sense of smell. Take that, coronavirus!
Watch the video. Read about it.
67. Big pie
This is one of those delightful I-can’t-believe-they-didn’t-do-this-sooner ideas. Just in time for Thanksgiving, Reese’s made a pie-sized peanut butter cup. PR catnip (and it sold out almost right away.)
Read about it.
68. 3D billboards
With the pandemic, out-of-home advertising struggled. (Nobody’s buying public transpo station-takeovers when everybody’s working from home.) But this is a pretty great innovation in billboard land — a digital display that truly feels 3D.
See a video of the billboard in action. Read about them.
69. Black-owned Friday
Last year, BBH and Google partnered with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce to turn Black Friday into “Black-Owned Friday” to encourage shoppers to spend their dollars at black-owned businesses. This year the campaign is back and the eye-catching music-video brand film is shoppable, where you can click on the video to buy.
Watch the film. Read about the campaign.
70. Take your hang-ups elsewhere
This is a *chef’s kiss* goodie of a campaign for Mixwell from their agency, The Many. At a time when so many brands tiptoe and try not to offend anybody, Mixwell just goes for it and says, “If you don’t want to mix well with others and diversity and inclusion frightens you, then don’t buy our product.” An idea that could have been heady and smug is bright, bold and joyous, touching just about every media channel you can think of.
See the out-of-home and read about the campaign. Watch the spot. Hear the song.
71. Which tunes showed up in 2021?
Spotify’s annual “wrapped” campaign gets a lot of attention each year, and rightfully so. They’ve figured out to way to make what is, essentially, data visualization, compelling and something that people actually look forward to seeing each December.
See and read about the campaign. Watch one of the spots. And/or watch this one.
72. TikTok star takes on cups
Once of the most eye-roll-y culture fights of recent years is the annual faux uproar over “holiday cups” at your local coffee joint. Somebody politicized the design of said cups a few years back and now the release of the design is a hold-your-breath moment for some. Panera found another approach this year and it’s delightful. They partnered with TikTok’s viral star Emily Zugay to “design” cups for them this year. (Her bit is that she redesigns stuff, terribly, and it’s a pretty great bit.)
See the cups and read about the campaign. Watch the TikTok.
73. Reddit recap rap
The year-in-review wrap-up video has become a staple for a lot of tech companies. Google always does a nice heartstring-tugger (this year’s is no exception.) But our favorite for 2021 is the Reddit Recap from the crew at R/GA. The song is a bop and the cut is so filled with energy and joy, it almost makes you forget we’re wrapping up year two of a global pandemic.
Watch it.
74. Reynold’s 80s Rewind
There were already plenty of reasons to envy Ryan Reynolds (handsome, funny, charming, movie star, married to Blake Lively, etc.) But then he opened his own ad agency and makes such fun stuff, it makes us jealous. In the last week, not only did he launch a whip-smart destined-to-make-a-mint “creative as a subscription” media bundle, he also did a series of ads for “Live in Front of a Studio Audience.” The spots are a fever-dream riff on classic 80s ads that we can’t believe the brands let him make. Bravo.
75. Redecorate for the holidays…with beer
You got to hand it to them. The good people at Miller beer say “Yes!” to some fun ideas. Two great holiday activations out this month: Beernaments (hat tip to DDB) are exactly what they sound like and now we we want some for our tree. And we WISH we could have been at the meeting when they gave the green light to “beer-infused gingerbread dive bar.”
Oh…and here are 184 bonus links, if you’re so inclined:
Swim Soups | Digital Cat | Vaxxed Seniors | Barbershop Sextet | Candy Sandy | Poopowerment | Hidden Oreos | Design Icon | Peanuts Portraits | Mini 7–11 | Junk Sleep | Playful Portraits | Stuffed Influencers | Dairy Ad | Cheetos Apparel | Horse Wine | Hinge Campaign | Paul & Beck | Oatly Copywriting | Lime Bottle | Taco Anime | Popeyes Pieces | TikTok Remakes | Burberry Centaur | Olympic Pictograms | Pedigree Pups | Smelly Stops | Liberia Uniforms | Mayo Culpa | Durex Freedom | Better Briefs | Mascot Whisperer | Shoe Cam | Corona Limonada | Convergence Station | Dubai Presents | Brewdog Manifesto | Paperboyo Cutouts | OKCupid OOH | Photo No-Nos | KFC IKEA | Fries Musical | The Pitch | Doris Dev | Zara 3D | Guerrilla Signage | Nestflix Fakes | Design Feedback | Five Star | Oreo Cassettes | Caramel Curves | Presentation Tips | No Name | Influencer Rates | Bodequality | Crayon Animals | Hotel Portraits | Infinity Artwork | Nectar Musical | CMO Songs | Blood Boards | We The 15 | FanDuel Anthem | Wonder Serena | Anamorphic Murals | HMW BS | Nike Goal | Moon Landing | Slinky Remix | Metallica Classified | Virtual Fashion | Vax Design | Hellion Dog | Money Motion | Netflix Hostage | Failed Fitfluencer | Sin Card | New Farm | Vag Welcome | Pokemon Oreos | Ugly Design | Big Blooms | AR Panther | Epic Chess | Parisian Runners | Numina Tour | Beyoncé Tiffany’s | Lasso Crowds | Digital Clothes | F’king Master | Transdimensional Travel | TreeWork | Elephant Slides | Starburst Pink | Advertising Fear | Waste Labels | Arby’s RBs | Packaging Innovation | Scream Stay | Big Banana | Shutterfly Things | Stop Motion | Emily Zugay | Poker Dogs | Billboard Workstation | Beer Rings | Wendy’s Phone | Musical Truth | Austin Beerworks (keep answering “no” to the age question) | Phone Cereal | Polestar Film | Clif Remix | Pretty Piñatas | Ad Fraud | Coffee Poops | Pronoun Plates | Sauce Couture | McD Mobile | Cheese Feels | Berries & Cream | Ketchup Blood | Chatter Telephone | Oatly Upcycles | Hidden Apartment | Gametime Goodies | Ikea Billboards | Raisin House | Vegan Cannibal | Zombie Heads | Olympic Fit | Sheep Imposters | Meta Ad | Alpaca Auto | Mega Mint | Tea Cups | Joy Toys | Rappin’ Ball | Ringan Ledwidge | Mariah Menu | Lonely Bar | Morty’smobile | Chipotle Sequel | Adidas Omni | Big Puppet | No Noise | Double Feast | Hello Bello | Pizza Yodel | Collage Portraits | Winter Summerland | Icelandverse Parody | Saving Simon | AMEX Jingles | Swift’s Red | Great OOH | Hathaway History | Line Doc | Gift IOU | Nail Art | Mariah Meal | Stranger Stays | Toy Season | Sneaker Hypetags | Idea Deficit | Poster Pyro | Big Brownie | Pantone’s Periwinkle | Peloton Pivot | McDishes | Lay’s Vodka | E.l.f. Movie | Clever Cup | Axe Frames | Black Box | Airbnb Miniatures | Ace Carol | Quirky Compositions | Masked Christmas | Street Reunions | Bonkers Trailer | Merge Mansion | Brand Games
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Kovacevich is a creative director and the founder of Agency SOS. He writes a weekly email highlighting three bits of creative inspiration for modern marketers. You can subscribe, if you’d like.
