Work of the Week: 25/07/25
Lotus’s - Rain Coupons
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Asia reporter
To coax customers out of their homes and into stores during Thailand's intense rainy season, VML Thailand and Thai supermarket Lotus's, utilised the unfortunate weather for something fun and surprising.
As the rain pours down, giant 'Rain Coupons' offering rainy day essentials and a storewide 10% discount appear on the street. These were placed outside of Lotus's stores, in high-traffic areas, busy bus stops, and even at competitors' doors, turning entire cities into an interactive advertising space.
Via Carota - Cocktails, Simplified
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Cocktails, simplified. This campaign for Via Carota’s bottled craft cocktails embodies the line perfectly. Created by NYC indie agency Flower Shop, and with austere-yet-elegant designs from Ricard Valero Cerda, these posters distil various bar classics into their simplest visual forms. There's a starkness to each image which helps the tidy copy to communicate the product without even showing it. It's simplicity beyond aesthetic desire; it's a beautifully uncomplicated expression of the drinks, and their simple solution.
Amazon Books and Kindle - Bring a Book to Life
Chosen by Aysun, Germany reporter
Just as a skillfully-written book is hard to put down, this campaign demands attention. From the beginning, the viewer is both confused and intrigued by what is happening. The detailed set design and differences in scenery keep you hooked until you understand that the ad shows the magic of books, luring you into different worlds. Next to the hero film, the out-of-home posters designated to various book genres are colourful, expressive, and memorable. My personal favourite is the romance one, by the way. There is just so much to love about this campaign. If you are not convinced, give it a watch yourself. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go back to reading my book now.
Apple Intelligence - Clean Up Photos: Cat
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
This one first crossed my path in the wild. I didn't see it first on LBB or on LinkedIn but on TV, as intended. It was on during a break – maybe at half-time – during the EUROs. And it was the only ad that I stopped messing around on my phone to watch. From start to finish, it had my attention.
Of course, it's Apple. It's Andreas Nilsson. There's a feline protagonist. Ingredients that should make for a quality creative feast. But sometimes the ingredients don't always work together. Here, they very much did.
Ultimately a product demo for the iPhone's Clean Up feature, it's an amusing, borderline tense situation involving a couple and Garrett (the cat). The minute-long tale demonstrates Clean Up's ability to remove 'unwanted' objects/ images (in this case Garrett) as well as quickly undoing those edits (in this case reinstating Garrett). The casting is on point, the editing is exquisite, and the music and sound design is just perfect.
Gift of Life - Hero Gum
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA reporter
Discarded gum: gross, yes, but also a scientifically validated source of DNA information. This genius campaign – two years in the making by Gift of Life marrow registry, Labcorp, DOUBLEMINT, and adam&eveDDB NY – has taken that insight and turned it into a speedy and accessible strategy for donor registration.
To join the Gift of Life marrow registry, all individuals now have to do is chew Hero Gum for five minutes, seal it, and submit it – no invasive needles or swabs necessary. Just like that, they’ll have taken the first step towards saving the life of one of the 20,000 Americans who need a stem cell or marrow transplant each year.
The initiative debuts with a bang on August 1st, when hundreds of kits will be distributed to fans at the New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants game. What an incredibly effective way to provoke registration en masse.
Pup-Peroni - Treat the Best to the Best
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
If I had to name some of my favourite things, dogs and eating at nice restaurants would inevitably rank highly. I also spend a considerable amount of time on social media. Therefore it’s no surprise that this spot for Pup-Peroni – led by BBH USA and directed by Hungry Man’s LJ Johnson – that fashions dogs as the next generation of foodie influencers, was a highlight this week.
Cleverly mimicking influencer tropes, from live streams at the dinner table to language such as “it’s giving…”, the campaign shows that if dogs were influencers, they’d definitely opt for Pup-Peroni. But, thankfully, “dogs are dogs”, and, well, they’ll opt for Pup-Peroni too. Clambering on the table to get their paws on those meaty treats, the campaign highlights that no matter a dogs’ social following, humans should always, ‘Treat the Best to the Best’.
Deutsche Telekom - Can’t Catch Me
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Americas reporter
When digging through the site for work, curating our global newsletter, I was having a pretty uninspiring day. To say the absolute least. The last brand I’d have expected to break that curse is Deutsche Telekom; but the unlikely saviour came through strong.
This sexy, gritty and all-round trippy film is the work debut of Swedish agency INGO since being appointed by the telco. Warning against digital doppelgangers, symbolised through the multiplying – almost identical – protagonists who set out to sabotage the original, the ad speaks to a gen Z audience, and anyone who holds Charli xcx in high esteem.
The soundtrack is a bespoke collaboration between artist VTSS, who also stars in the video while performing all of her own stunts, and Scottish composer, DJ and celeb producer Hudson Mohawke. INGO has set the bar incredibly high for future work, but continue like this, and the telco provider could soon reach cult status.
Purdy & Figg - Summer Lawn
Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
I’m in two minds about Purdy & Figg’s business strategy of turning cleaning products into luxe desire objects, but I can’t knock the ambition. If ever there was a test of the ability of advertising and brand building to create a new market, this is it. If you can make an audience covet something as quotidian as cleaning products and coax them to spend a premium on them, quite frankly, you’ve won at advertising. And this campaign to launch their new scent ‘Summer Lawn’ from 10 Days makes a decent go of it, with a dash of wry wit.
Taking its cues from louche fashion campaigns, a stylish couple dressed for tennis enjoy a picnic in the rain – but as the camera pulls back, this stereotypically rainy summer day is revealed to be set in the couple’s front room. I think I’m in Purdy & Figg’s target market – I must be; I get enough of their ads served up on Insta (jokes on them; I am not the fastidiously houseproud flavour of 40-something female, much to my mother’s frustration) – and I do appreciate the humour and style. It’s a welcome change for the overly-lit, shot-on-volume norms of the sector.
Feel the Lovehoney – Lovehoney
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, UK editor
‘Feel the Lovehoney’ is the Sabrina Carpenter of all the work I’ve seen this week: short, flirty, and sweet. It’s not easy to create an ad for a sex toy brand that feels suitably grown up without veering into lasciviousness yet The Leith Agency and Greenroom Films make it look easy in this Lovehoney spot. And if anyone remembers playing The Sims, they’ll recall the ‘WooHoo’ action: two characters falling into bed, then disappearing for a tussle under the covers, before emerging delighted while hearts explode all around. Pleasure is the central theme, with the spot reminding us that a bout of morning delight can make the whole day feel really, really good. Like hearts are floating all around after, and passersby look on with envy. It’s great to see a brand like Lovehoney expand the definition of sex into the realm of sexual wellness while doubling down on the benefits of intimacy and connection with charm and a knowing wink./
Waitrose - Let Your Summer Side Out
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
I love these kebabs. Sorry, you might think they look like billboards. But they’re actually kebabs. Because they’ve got skewers through them. It’s a bit silly, but there is an undeniable truth to this line. Beyond arguing semantics, the food format of stuff on sticks is one of the great culinary innovations of humanity. The pair of attention-grabbing special builds transform these London out-of-home sites into something surprisingly appetising, thus proving that putting stuff on a skewer is an underrated move. I also love the slightly cheekier tone that Waitrose is taking lately. Because although it’s arguably the poshest UK supermarket, that doesn’t mean it has to be serious. Now I’m off to impale some quality produce.
