Work of the Week: 13/06/25
Apple – Tiger’s Oil/Garbage Day/Lock Master
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Asia reporter
A humorous three-part film series for Apple China features Crosstalk comedian Yue Yun Peng to reinforce the brand's commitment to user privacy.
To portray the importance of privacy in a more engaging manner, the films include relatable and embarrassing mishaps that could take place if your phone is not secure. From a child accessing and reading out personal messages between adults, to worryingly losing a notebook full of your secure passwords, each spot is crafted to highlight the importance of privacy and how the iPhone's features – such as app locking, face ID and iCloud Keychain passwords – can help.
Supported with educational social content, the campaign includes behind-the-scenes clips with the comedian alongside director Zhang Da Peng, as well as billboards with Yue Yun Peng playfully peeking out from behind his iPhone.
Tripel Karmeliet – Perfection Always Finds Its Place
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Shot by Australian director Sam Hibbard with Iconoclast France producing, this spot for Belgian beer Tripel Karmeliet is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek play on premium beer advertising. Created by BETC Paris, the film shows the beer being served in unusual vessels – martini glasses, whiskey tumblers and more – to prove that a Tripel Karmeliet is perfect at any occasion.
The subtly surreal comedy is a winner, as are the visuals of champagne flutes and wine glasses with an unreasonably frothy head. It's funny and simple; sometimes, you just want a beer. And that doesn't make the moment any less special.
Google Pixel X DFB – Football of a new generation
Chosen by Aysun Bora, Germany reporter
Lush, extravagant, bold, fresh. Those words came to mind when I first watched this ad: a new way of positioning the German women’s national football team in the lead-up to the UEFA European Women's Football Championship 2025, kicking off on July 2nd in Switzerland. By giving the female players free rein to show their talent and personalities as a new dynasty of players in a big mansion, Jung von Matt positions the football stars as the future of the profession. A power move, through and through.
TA3 Swim – The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Hotness
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, UK editor
Rise and grind? No, thank you, says OnlyFans star Levi Coralynn in swimwear brand TA3 Swim’s provocative campaign, ‘The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Hotness’, for its instantly cinchable designs.
No need to set an alarm for 5:30 AM when you can ‘work hot, not hard’, as the campaign’s very appealing tagline suggests. And what is the ‘hot work’ in question? Plenty of languishing in bed, repurposing last night’s makeup, taking business meetings in the briefest interpretation of business casual attire, and sharing dinner with your partner – even if you’re not eating the same thing.
The campaign and film were crafted by a 100% female creative team at Pereira O'Dell, and a female director, Object & Animal’s Amber Grace Johnson. In Levi’s own words, “this campaign was rooted in pleasure and self-confidence, not shame,” and it shows. It’s a delightful, knowing subversion of the ‘clean girl’ pop narrative and the sanitised Instagram aesthetic.
With summer on the doorstep, I too would like to work hot, not hard. Here’s to hoping.
Walmart – Walmart. Who Knew?
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
My favourite thing about this campaign (aside from the impeccable casting of Walton Goggins) is that it doesn't hide its silliness. It's right up in your gills – loud, proud, and all the more impressive given the size and stature of the client. And at least for me, it achieved what I assume was the goal: reminding Americans that Walmart stocks plenty of those random little items we usually order with a single click from a certain other retailer. Kudos to Publicis Groupe – it was created by a cross-agency team with folk from Leo Burnett, Fallon, Digitas, and the community.
Reebok X Manors – No Thanks, I’ll Walk
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
‘No thanks, I'll walk’.
Reebok's classic slogan has been reinterpreted in this new campaign from Stink Studios, promoting the sportswear brand's collaboration with contemporary golf brand Manors. Urging golfers to ditch the carts and walk the course, the film is a far cry from the sanitised world of rules, regulations, etiquette and codes that many think of when pondering the sport.
This style of film drives Manors and Reebok directly onto the fairway of the trendy, streetwear direction in which the newer generation of golfers are embracing (alongside the likes of Malbon and Fantl Sport). This is golf. But not as you know it.
Huggies – Little Fighter
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Americas reporter
‘Little Fighter’ marks director Ian Ruschel’s US debut, as he returns to Stink for global representation, and as partner of Stink São Paulo.
The film for Huggies tells the true story of Savannah Westfall, who, as a baby, was in the neonatal intensive care unit and now works as a NICU nurse – the fact of which is revealed in a beautiful twist at the end. It’s smart, anchored in story, and makes total sense for a brand that proudly supports neonatal babies.
As far as debuts go, it doesn't get much better than this.
Swatch – The Jelly Effect
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA reporter
Swatch continues to delight with its conceptual approach to advertising, this time partnering with MOX on ‘The Jelly Effect’.
Showing off the brand’s jellyfish-inspired SCUBAQUA range, every element disorients the viewer and plunges them headfirst into a blissfully surreal underwater world – from the slanted camera angles, warped music, and colour saturation, to the ethereal special effects of Dada Projects and Pineapple VFX. It’s immersive, hypnotic, and was shot in just two days in Europe’s largest aquarium. Dive deeper into the creative and special effects in this interview.
Brittany Ferries – Wake
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
I suppose it’s because of the decline in print that we don’t have more long copy print ads. But, I think we need to find a way to make them relevant again. Because when a beautiful bit of long copywriting like this drops into our inbox, all the verbose word nerds that work at LBB lose their shit over it. And we did over this beautiful example from McCann Bristol for Brittany Ferries. But here’s the thing. They’re lovely, even if the writing was bad (it’s actually lovely but yeah), because the art direction tells the story even if you can’t be bothered to read.
Allianz Ireland – Real Life
Chosen by Zoe Antonov, EMEA reporter
Advertising that represents real life is always nice to see. It’s especially nice when it comes from the least real of brands – insurance companies.
Allianz Ireland collaborated with Forsman & Bodenfors Dublin to create a film that promises customers they don’t need to present a fake, polished version of themselves when applying for a claim. Messy school mornings, not being able to find your clothes in the morning, training for a marathon, failing at a marathon – all of it is accepted. Even with a questionable music choice, the film is a winner with us.
Rogers – Our Ice, Our Moment
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
While Canadian NHL hockey rivalries run deep and fierce, with all that’s been going on in the world this year, it feels as though people from coast to coast have (somewhat) put aside their differences to root for the Edmonton Oilers in the finals. After all, the prospect of the Stanley Cup finally returning to the home of hockey is a glorious thing… as is keeping it out of the hands of a US-based team.
Capitalising on this moment brilliantly ahead of round four has been telecommunications company Rogers, and its creative agency partner, Publicis Canada. Recognising that ‘home ice’ is an important advantage in any series, the two decided to take this a step further by gathering real ice from the hometown rinks where stars like Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse grew up playing, and integrated it into the surface at the Oilers’ own Rogers Place. While largely symbolic, the fact that it gives the players, and millions of hockey fans across the country, the chance to literally say “This is our ice” feels perfect for this moment in time, and hopefully, it’ll be the golden ticket to the country’s first championship win since 1993.
ESPN – Sports Forever
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
The team at BSSP have managed to make this ESPN campaign feel both nostalgic and forward-thinking. It's reassuringly of the genre in all the right ways, and I say that as a Brit with no affinity to the legendary Lee Leonard, whose voice anchors the spot. Shoutout to division7 director Omri Cohen for crafting a montage that manages to feel fresh and emotionally resonant without falling into cliché.
Maribou State – All I Need
Chosen by Olivia Atkins, EMEA Editor
This promo treats memory not just as a theme, but as a physical form. Giordano Maestrelli’s decision to build a custom zoetrope -- a nod to Muybridge and early cinema --feels both technically audacious and emotionally intuitive. It visualises how we loop through old feelings, replaying fragments of a relationship that’s already over. The dual timelines cleverly echo that sense of emotional recursion: the past rendered tactile through 16mm film, the present hauntingly distant. There’s a deep sense of craft here -- 2,500 hand-placed frames, shot over 23 hours, manually rotated and captured millimetre by millimetre. But it never feels indulgent. Instead, it’s tender, precise, and reverent. The result is a music promo that feels like more than just a visual companion to a track -- it’s a work of grief and grace in its own right. Fittingly, it honours both the ache and the artistry of Maribou State’s return.
