Things that caught my eye over the last five months

Each week, I send a things-that-caught-my-eye email to my creative colleagues. Here are all those things from early 2020.

January

This animated spot from VW to toast the end of the road for the VW bug

This Dracula billboard

This article about why puppets are better than CGI sometimes

This film about John Baldessari, who just passed away. “I will not make any more boring art.” (Chevron later ripped off the technique in this film and used it as the device for its campaign, which is sacrilege IMHO, but this was the original)

This great article about how some classic TV characters got their name (and a reminder that naming our characters is a huge opportunity!)

This tweet thread about the 61 taglines this guy saw over the Christmas holiday

That they used to make movies like this

This new platform that celebs are using to communicate with fans instead of Twitter

This “bad weather makes good photography” photo series

These self portraits

This campaign about jewelry insurance (the “Obsessed” :30 is too crowded and feels like something the client made them do, but the other two about individuals are good)

These men’s sweaters, for which I am not the target audience

The five worst corporate PR disasters of 2019

This self-promotional plug (*NERD ALERT*) for this thing I wrote about my experience of the Star Wars movies over the last 42 years

This Awkwafina subway stunt to promote her new show

The news that Google is going to “kill the cookie”

This guy who animated his girlfriend into Sleeping Beauty to propose

This typeface with (and for) Parkinson’s

This tweet thread where the guy wrote NYC subway ads for fake startups

This optical illusion spray paint technique

This cooking-with-wool stop-motion animation

This (really) tall-boy can from Pabst Blue Ribbon

This incredible immersive experiential activation at CES for HBO

This painting on glass sculpture

This look at Beyonce’s new Adidas partnership (and what it means for celebrity brands)

This PR wire service press release as a way to tease an upcoming Super Bowl spot (Super Bowl spot teasers are a dime a dozen, of course, but I’d never seen the PR newswire used this way before)

This Progressive ad that has a half-time show built into it

This look at how animals behave when we’re not looking

This condom brand who got parents to encourage their kids to have sex

This giant curved TV screen

The news that Mr. Peanut…is dead

This Paresian basketball court

This pop-up experience from Prada

These dancing twigs

This 54-topping pizza

This “musical instrument” that’s being used to score horror films

This depressing twitter thread about the downside of going viral and the problem with trolls

That “finger dancing” is a thing

This reminder that the headshot you send out with a press release doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) boring

This news that French Parliament named a new law after our friend Matt Rivitz’s Sleeping Giants initiative

This article about “future-proofing” your career

These Super Bowl activations for brands that don’t have a Super Bowl spot on the game

This relatable short film about reaching your wit’s end

The launch of Byte (from the Vine guy) to battle TikTok

This Super Bowl bingo card for ad people

This interesting look at the strategy that goes into when you want your Super Bowl ad to appear in the game

This new beauty trend

This recap of the most creative Twitter campaigns of 2019

This reminder that if you’re going to pay big money for celebs in your commercial, it’s good to give them something fun/funny to do

This way of looking at the true cost of things

The head-scratching news that Vegas is changing their tagline

The news that Planters is pausing it’s #RIPMrPeanut campaign in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death

This piece about why slides (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, etc.) are bad (I’m not sure I totally agree — there’s a good way to slides and a bad way to slides — but there’s a lot of truth here)

These paper flowers

That teasers for Super Bowl ads might be as important as the ads themselves

The 10-year anniversary of THAT Old Spice ad

This deep dive on the value of creativity with the CMO of Burger King

This memory of Kobe Bryant from one creative director

The latest “cool” drinks

These Super Bowl spots that have been released before the Super Bowl

The meeting is over and there are some sandwiches left over in the kitchen

February

This perfect parody of both Amazon and dating sites

This mural in NYC

The choice between “storytelling” and “personalization”

This publisher that changed the race of main characters on the covers of classic books and the backlash the book covers sparked

The news that Instagram brought in $20B in ad revenue last year (that’s more than YouTube’s $15B)

This behind-the-scenes story of a sure-fire blockbuster hit that wasn’t

This Chinese woman (and online star) who makes me feel like the laziest person alive

This insight that not everybody has an internal monologue

The Super Bowl ticket and program design

This twitter thread that’s about VAR (video assist referee) in soccer, but is really about modern society’s obsession with technology to prove “truth” (you know, like every client wants KPIs to prove their ad worked?)

The history of the &

These lessons from the Amazon email template

The fact that LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner is stepping down and nobody has written the headline “Weiner Out at LinkedIn” makes me sad

This and this Super Bowl wrap up (which, Kat and I are quoted in) and the admeter results

This Adobe ad that aired on the Oscars

These In-n-Out sneakers

These KFC crocs

These creative trends from Shutterstock

This creative inspiration Insta account

These photos of London’s disappearing launderettes

This new Valentine’s OOH campaign from Twitter

This observation tower

These noodle headphones

This scathing review of the new Carl’s Jr work that reminds us that you can overcorrect into boring land

This depressing article about the role that disinformation will play in the 2020 election

The technique in this music video

This fragrance sampling idea

This climate change knitting project

These seven best moments from the Oscars

This reminder that “funny” means different things to different people

The trailer for the new Wes Anderson movie

This brand that offered to dress female political candidates for free

The behind the scenes story of that moldy Whopper ad

This B2B spot from our friends up the street at BBDO

This stop motions that show the waste of industrial design

These McDonalds ads that I did a double take on

This reminder that we can skip the 20 “agency intro” slides in most client presentations

This news that Netflix has partnered with Samsung to produce content shot on their phones

This rap video that explains why your vote DOES count

This virtual production technique on The Madalorian

This visualization of the New Yorker covers

This lettering series (including some do-overs of some famous logos)

This ad that the Oscars didn’t allow

This take on creating a new category (you gotta name the new game)

The behind-the-scenes story for that viral backflip video that swept the Internet last week

March

This KFC spot

This new recording artist who is sponsored by…bleach (🤦🏻‍♂️)

This Leap Year baby that finally turning 21

This reminder that Jim Henson was making 6-second pre-roll ads 60 years ago

The feelings you have when your ex-boyfriends starts dating Lady Gaga

These new Nike’s made from waste

This take on brands, culture and something else we can blame on millennials

This beer spot

This crazy hologram tech

The news that OF COURSE Uber is getting into the OOH game

The reality of commercial TV’s decline

This interview with Aaron Sorkin (including how he would write the Democratic primary if it were a West Wing plot)

This new “Visit Portland” campaign

These new moving pictograms for the Tokyo Olympics

This I’m-not-even-sure-how-to-describe it…movie…performance art piece…deeply problematic social experiment…?

These Riot Grrrrl Scout Cookies

This Danny DeVito fanny pack called, well, you know…

This guy’s style

These animated characters doing mundane tasks

This is the new BMW logo?

This time-travelling radio

This advice on pitching high-concept ideas

These dioramas

The news that our friends at Gentlemen Scholar changed their name to just Scholar and their new identity is here and here

This use of type by the NY Times

This Twitter thread called “Chris Evans as hand sanitizers”

This look at what hand sanitizers from every brewery might look like

This video of abandoned SF in the time of Coronavirus

These emojis for a Covid-19 world

This proper way to stop panic buying

This social distancing ad from Jack Daniels

These flowers (I don’t speak Dutch, but the video is nice)

This reminder to fill out your 2020 Census form

April

This kid-staffed San Francisco newspaper

This forest

This Covid-19 spot from Facebook

This not-your-average wedding photographer

These life-size crocheted figures

These 10 TikTok dances you can learn at home

This look at how the late night shows have adapted to film-from-home

This murmurations project

The news that Amazon Prime is going to air all the films that were supposed to debut at the 2020 SXSW film festival

This adult activity book for the self-quarantined

This app to transform your photos into the style of a famous artist

This new IKEA spot that was shot by the agency staffers at their homes (check out the credits)

These surf photos of the year

This virtual prom

The art of drawdling

These famous art recreations from home

This cry of “fake!” for the pandemic’s first “meet cute” story

This short animation about film crews in quarantine

The news that Cannes Lions has been cancelled this year

This book, which I just finished and loved

This guy who skied at home

This, one of the better social distancing PSAs

These overlapping videos

This and these stay-at-home social posts

This short film on naps from our friends The Mercadantes

This new one from Randy Rainbow

These not-so-flattering take on advertising’s role in “getting back to normal” post pandemic

This stay-at-home PSA from Julia Louis-Dreyfus

This advice on how to create 64 pieces of content in a day

These outdoor boards

The queen’s latest green screen outfit

This guy who built an AI version of himself so he didn’t have to attend Zoom calls

This fun coupon code promotion from Burger King

This virtual tip jar for out of work bartenders

This story about how to make an ad fast in the era of coronavirus

This series that I just finished; it’s paced so differently than almost any show I’ve ever seen (slow, but fascinating)

This reminder that no matter how stoned you get today on 4/20, you still won’t be as stoned as the creatives who made this IHOP commercial in 1969

These winners from Smithsonian Magazine’s annual photo contest

This Zoom-inspired, synchronized-dancing music video

The news that the coyotes are taking back San Francisco

This masterful perform-from-home version of Glengarry Glen Ross

The Andy’s shortlist

This sort of co-working shit-talking that absolutely 100% doesn’t happen at DC

This triple Lindy

This UGC social-distancing film

These 70 gorgeously cinematic movie stills

This poignant post about what kids are missing out on right now, thanks to coronavirus

The AdAge A-List winners for 2020

This reminder that opening a 25-year-old can of Chef Boyardee can be highly engaging content

This depressing article about truth and clicks (that features some amazing dioramas)

This fascinating look at the challenge of shooting “darkness” in horror films

This study about what different generations want from brands in light of Covid-19

The fact that NYC turned its digital billboards into a public art show

This classic dance number that makes me happy

This reminder that we don’t all have to make the same goddamn Covid-19 ad

This meatball recipe from Ikea

This shelter-at-home ad from YouTube that uses user-generated video…but somehow doesn’t feel like every other shelter-at-home ad (some humor and a good track helps)

These stop-motion titles by way of Zoom

This agency’s paper-to-pixels project

This 51,300-piece puzzle

This dude

This ad that simply tweaks the audio from an all-time classic to make it Covid-19 appropriate

The impossibility of shooting glitter

This energy

This winner in the “worst buzzword ever” championship

These amazing solo musical lip-syncs (scroll the thread and find your fave; Hamilton one is particularly good)

These lemons-into-lemonade street murals on closed SF businesses

This deep dive at the on-pack copy for one brand of coffee cake

These drawings of essential products

This Glossier Covid-19 ad that suggests not everybody is going to make the same Covid-19 ad

The life of a film grip

This case for imagination from the braniancs at Harvard

This serious turn for Old Spice

This animated spot for a new racing bike

This promotional packaging

This use of painter’s tape to make public art safe in the age of coronavirus

May

These luxe Zoom backgrounds from House Beautiful

This Boss Bitch Fight Challenge

This bit of insight about the difference between what Facebook SAYS and what Facebook DOES

This good sports idea in the Covid-19 era

This artists-in-isolation video from Julliard

This pretty pasta

This domestic “perfection”

This Ryan Reynolds PowerPoint presentation

This guy has a bone to pick with Zoom

These board games you can play online with friends

This visual representation of wealth shown to scale

This photo of the Into the Spiderverse editing room made me think, “Damn, and we think there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen for a commercial!”

These stay-at-home posters

This alt-reality-Nike nightmare fuel

This bit o’ mind candy

This guy is not encouraging when it comes to production getting “back to normal” any time soon

This insane ketchup puzzle

These magical forests

This look at Raymond Loewy, who made the 20th century beautiful

This Instagrammer

The fact that the new Trolls movie probably changed the ways movies will be distributed in the future

This insight that we are in the “third quarter” of quarantine (and that’s why we feel like we’re going crazy)

These dreamy paintings of nature invading

These six tips for making better presentations in the advertising business (yes, a shameless plug for the thing I wrote)

These 100 things a planner should know

This lovely animated rap PSA about mental health in this moment

This filmmaker who bought a high school

This totally-not-creepy plan by this DC restaurant

This, the absolute worst marketing campaign in history

This Twitter feed that rates people’s home backgrounds on Zoom

This Covid-19 ad parody (with a concrete action for advertisers at the end)

This 3-minute super mix of 50 songs from 1986

These Covid-approved cones of silence (“but make it fashion!”)

This production company’s remote-shooting-kit approach to production right now

This house

This tour of artist studios

This gut punch about what coronavirus means for artists

This Twitter thread about famous brand slogans written by government comms teams (which may be less funny to those of you who actually have to get copy approved by government comms teams)

This crooked forest (and the theories behind what caused it)

This delightful short film featuring a floating Vienna

This piece on the media lessons coronavirus is teaching us

This digital board public art in Korea

These 40+ examples of Instagram Story ads, each of which approaches the format a bit differently

The news that Facebook bought Giphy

This charming AF Ikea long-form spot from a few years ago:

This beautifully presented piece on what corporate boards want from the CMO

This 69-page cookbook from a condom brand

The design on this new soda line

This DEVO Covid-19 merch

This is how you funk it in two minutes

This take on how Covid-19 advertising is now turning a corner (from a worth-subscriping-to newsletter by a former Adweek editor who was just laid off because of Covid-19)

This mid-century Portuguese graphic designer

This photographer of group nudes who doesn’t let a little thing like a a global pandemic stop him

This famous Miller High LIfe Man campaign (I had a CD once that referenced it at EVERY creative review for two years) is back with a quarantine twist

These tiny/giant foods

The news that bicycle sales are surging

This campaign from our friends up the hill for Sam Adams (that gives me hope that funny commercials may be OK again)

These papercraft portraits

This writer who is bringing fake sitcoms to life

This quarantine home improvement project

This Rube Goldberg swish shot

These bands that all made music videos during the lockdown

These horror costume instructions “from” Ikea

These impressive mega construction projects

This brand collab to create the world’s most sustainable shoe

This customer service lesson from L.L. Bean

These car commercials, shot at home

This kid who did not take the money and run

This guy who built an American Ninja Warrior-style squirrel proof bird feeder

These pressed-flower illustrations

This refreshingly bullshit-free take that maybe, just maybe, Covid-19 won’t change marketing as we know it

This take (referenced in the article above) on how the famous Oreo dunk-in-the-dark tweet taught a lot of people the wrong lessons about brand social

This simple, fun design-your-own-burger social challenge

This 14-hour radio drama version of Star Wars that I never knew existed

This take on what Covid-19 is doing to ad agencies

This, the Knight Rider theme, played on 8 cellos

Want to see the links from last year? First half. Second half.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Kovacevich is a creative director in San Francisco. He publishes a weekly newsletter with bits of creative inspiration, just like the stuff above. You can see the newsletter here and subscribe if you’d like.

You can read all his musings about the advertising biz here.