Work of the Week: 23/05/25
Brahma - Branded Shadows
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, reporter, Asia
Where most beer brands place focus on the heat and sun, associating cold beer with bright beaches and vibrant greenery, Brahma has taken a refreshing twist on beer advertising by embracing the cool shadows.
By mapping the hottest parts of Asunción, Paraguay (which has had the hottest summers ever recorded in recent years), and installing their logo on top of buildings and bars, Brahma cast branded shadows onto the streets below during peak heat hours. This unexpected approach not only stood out visually but also resonated with locals in a place where shade is truly valued. 'Branded Shadows' took the cool, refreshing experience of drinking a cold beer in the sun to the next level.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - Laws Under Attack
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA reporter
As terror and destruction rages in the Middle East, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and TBWA\RAAD are reminding us that even wars are supposed to have rules.
’Laws Under Attack’ draws global attention to the repeated targeting of hospitals and medical personnel in conflict areas – despite the Geneva Convention’s explicit protections established over seven decades ago. Creating one of the most powerful and moving campaigns I’ve ever seen, it had muralist and calligrapher Ghaleb Hawila inscribe articles from the convention on the rubble of what had been the last operational hospital in Southern Lebanon. Until it too became a direct casualty of targeted attacks.
The text is disfigured by the cracks and burns on the walls – physical evidence of international law violated. A gut-wrenching plea for the world to remember its humanity.
Fantl Sport - One Shot At Life
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Americas reporter
I can’t help but love a big-picture piece of existential storytelling in the gravely voice of an earnest old man. “Bend, but don’t break,” advises the film's protagonist, who is also the brand founder’s grandfather. The shots are beautiful and the script urging one to not be overcome by life’s hurdles feels hopeful without being overdone.
Out of context, you could watch it a few times without ever realising it’s an ad for a sportswear brand, and I think there’s a lot to be said for advertising that comes closer to art than sales. What’s more impressive is the fact the team pulled this whole thing off – from conception to delivery – in a week.
FC Como Women - The Resume Jersey
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
Football shirts have become a popular canvas in recent years for brand collaborations, limited editions and all manner of creative endeavours. However, this twist on the FC Como Women jersey - created in collaboration with LePub - is certainly more substance than style: a symbolic and powerful tribute to the side's defender Alia Guagni, highlighting the challenge she and many female athletes face when their sporting career comes to an end.
Guagni's jersey is adorned with her professional résumé, woven into the fabric and offering and attempting to spark discussion and raise awareness of the issues that she and her peers will face when looking for her next job. There is life after football and this campaign taps into Como's 'Beyond' platform, which aims to offer guidance and tools to players when planning the next stage of their career.
Allianz - Care You Can Count On
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA reporter
I wasn’t expecting to find myself giggling at an insurance ad, but here we are. Allianz Australia has launched its new brand positioning, ‘Care You Can Count On’, with a hilariously high-stakes CG bird tale, directed by Michael Gracey ('Better Man', 'The Greatest Showman') of FINCH.
Which is appropriate, because the hero TVC is titled ‘Flight of the Finch’. It follows a mother bird on a stormy quest to protect her egg – to the tune of Avril Lavigne’s ‘I’m With You’. Just as our avian heroine is at her most vulnerable, the music soars and… so too does an eagle, swooping in from below to relieve her weary wings. The shot of the eagle casting a reassuring look back at her as slo-mo raindrops crash against its face is pure cinema. Im-peck-able.
Bidetlity - So Clean You Can Kiss It
Chosen by Aysun Bora, Germany reporter
What can I say, German creativity came through once again. For anyone who doesn’t speak gen z, I am trying to express that I am impressed by JOAN Berlin delivering excellent, cheeky and funny work with its campaign for Bidetlity.
With mouth close-ups as butt euphemisms, the campaign makes people laugh, double-take and start talking about intimate hygiene. I personally think, as someone with Turkish heritage, that a conversation about normalising bidets is long overdue in the West. On that note, take a look at JOAN’s fun campaign. Who knows, maybe you also want a butt that’s ‘So Clean You Can Kiss It’.
Tim Hortons - The Canadian Dream
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
“How come we don’t talk about the Canadian dream?” It’s a good question that this spot by Tim Hortons and GUT Toronto asks, and one which, now more than ever, feels relevant. Over the past few months, we’ve certainly seen our population rally together in support of greater causes, but even then, much of that is fuelled by the sentiment of proudly being ‘not American’. So, for one of the most historic brand names associated with Canada to quietly and gently reflect on what makes us special and unique in our own right? There’s something about it that just feels right.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the work is strong from a craft perspective to boot. In a pleasant departure from product-focused ads that we’re all acquainted with, beautifully shot coast-to-coast footage by Campsite’s Ian Robertson, set to music by singer-songwriter Bahamas, provides a real treat for viewers. Oh, and that’s not to mention the fact that it’s all narrated by the one and only Kiefer Sutherland, which adds a layer of star power to the creative without relying solely on a celebrity name being associated with the campaign. Really, it’s just tasteful, timely and thoughtful work, much deserving of appreciation.
Hovis - Strength Baked In
Chosen by Zoe Antonov, EMEA reporter
Whenever advertising for heritage brands leans into nostalgia, I always feel a bit wary of what political connotation that carries -- especially if the brand is so tightly tied with the British identity, which is the case for Hovis. But, for this quiet but mighty return of the bread brand to Brits' screens (for the first time in six years), VCCP delivered the diversity I so was hoping to see. Remaining wholesome, the film portrayed the British identity as one colliding many histories and trajectories -- all tied by, of course, their love of sliced bread.
The filmmaking doesn't fall far behind either -- the soft, morning glow of each shot makes me think of early-morning London, when shopkeepers are still rubbing tired eyes and office-dwellers are trotting quietly, sipping their first coffee. Cheesy, but it's peaceful, and this film somehow carries this peace.
Not to mention, as a foreigner living in Britain, and as someone who hasn't had Hovis as part of their childhood or warm family memories... I still understood this ad, and more importantly, felt it. To me that's a sure fast way to tell it works.
Chelsea x Nike - London, It’s Our House
Chosen by Addison Capper, Americas managing editor
As a lifelong Chelsea fan, I’m trying (and maybe failing just a little) to keep my bias in check. But honestly, that fandom is kind of the point. This two-minute Nike kit launch is packed with so many Easter eggs that I spot something new with every rewatch. Created by James Kirkham’s ICONIC in partnership with Till Dawn and directed by Park Pictures’ Jake Erland, brings together legends to please fans of every generation, nails the connection between soundtrack and message, and makes glorious use of its London locations. And perhaps most impressively, it seems to have gone down well with one of the internet’s most hard to please and miserable fan bases (trust me, I know). So, hats off to all involved.
Urihi Yanomami Association - Death Gold
Chosen by April Summers, North America features lead
Gold is one of the world’s most highly sought after assets. Those wearing it exude wealth – a trademark of high social status. But the truth about the gold we decorate ourselves with can be difficult to swallow.
The lethal impact of the illegal gold mining trade is one the Urihi Yanomami Association in Brazil believes we must collectively take ownership of. Through this new PSA, Brazilian agency DM9 opts to help the NGO expose the effects of global gold demand - with a particular focus on the Yanomami lands - calling for an uprising of collective responsibility in mineral traceability. The gravity of the situation is brutal, highlighted by the tagline ‘Gold that shines at the cost of lives'.
For maximum impact, the striking ‘Death Gold’ campaign is being displayed in countries that lead the importation of illegal Brazilian gold, in the hopes of confronting the public and raising awareness of this silent but deadly tragedy.
WhatsApp - Message Privately
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Smuggler's Mark Molloy directs this 60-second spot for WhatsApp, reminding the app's 3 billion-plus users that all of their messages are fully encrypted. That's right, not even WhatsApp can see all those cat memes your cousin floods the family group chat with.
Created by WEST BBDO, the films are shot from the POV of WhatsApp itself - an outward-facing window into the lives of its users. Transparent, scrambled messages pop up and light the faces of a diverse range of people, showcasing the privacy feature in a surprisingly personal way. ‘Not Even WhatsApp’ is a truly global campaign - WhatsApp's biggest yet - and Mark Molloy has dialled in the exact level of craft and polish you'd expect.
TransActual UK - Third Toilet
Chosen by Olivia Atkins, EMEA news editor
It takes immense strength and bravery for an agency to put its creative weight behind a cause as polarising and urgent as trans rights – especially at a time when silence is often the default. BBH London’s installation for TransActual UK cuts through that silence with unflinching clarity. The 'Third Toilet' outside the UK Supreme Court isn’t just visually striking – it’s a powerful act of creative protest that demands accountability and protection for a community sidelined by the very laws meant to safeguard them. It evokes the timeless spirit of 'Fearless Girl', standing defiantly in the face of institutional power. That the campaign features Olivia Campbell Cavendish – a trans rights ambassador with direct legal expertise – makes it all the more resonant. At a time when few brands or agencies are willing to take a public stance, BBH has chosen visibility, courage, and truth. That’s what advocacy is.
Pepsi MAX - Refresh the Game
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
Pepsi hit ‘refresh’ on its back catalogue of culturally driven, football focused advertising this week, adding women’s footballing talent Lauren James, Leah Williamson, Alexia Putellas, Caroline Graham Hansen and Farah Jefry to the lineup of sporting icons that have starred in the brand’s advertising over the years.
Rightly recognising the surge in popularity towards women’s football in recent years, ‘Refresh the Game’ reshapes some of Pepsi MAX’s most memorable footballing moments, by bringing the stars redefining today’s game alongside footballing legends such as Pelé, Ronaldinho and Beckham. In an action packed minute, the campaign offers a taste of nostalgia whilst serving as a reminder of the ever-changing, exciting face of football.
Vermisste Kinder - Screen2Save
Chosen by Aysun Bora, Germany reporter
More than 18,000 children went missing in 2024 alone, according to the German
Federal Criminal Police Office. Trying to find a way to help, communication agency group Serviceplan collaborated with Missing Children Germany and car rental company Free2move on a real time alert system.
As Germany’s first real-time, geo-targeted alert system for missing children, parents can submit a report which then gets distributed via in-car, retail and social media. The main problem this project tackles is the infamous German bureaucratic hurdles citizens have to play parkour around daily to get the help they need. Germany loves the colour red, especially on tape. Since every second counts if a child goes missing this project might help parents operating on borrowed time and can play a part in bringing children back home.
