High Five: Going Beyond Advertising
We’ve seen more and more brands creating new products in partnership with agencies. Sometimes they are reshaping products, sometimes creating something from scratch. It’s interesting to see that we, as creatives, have now more freedom to go beyond a TVC or OOH. Here are five ideas that made me proud of being part of this industry during these amazing times...
Balenciaga x Bang & Olufsen - 'Speaker Bag'
Production: ManVsMachine
My first pick is a collab between Balenciaga and Bang & Olufsen. They launched a limited edition speaker bag. As the name suggests, a product that combines both fashion and technology, allowing consumers to enjoy high-quality sound while carrying a stylish accessory. This collaboration represents a trend towards products that blur the lines between fashion and music, providing people with unique items that cater to their needs.
Heineken - 'The Closer'
Agency: Publicis Italy / Le Pub
Heineken has recently announced a bottle opener that is designed to enhance the happy hour experience. 'The Closer' was launched as a real-life tech device and in fact, it really is. According to the brand, once a bottle is opened the device sends a signal to a paired computer to put it in sleep mode. A reminder of finding work-life balance, especially in a moment when overwork and burnout became part of our daily conversation.
Oreo x Xbox - 'Cheat Cookies'
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Germany
The next one is a project in which I had the opportunity to be involved from the start. To announce a partnership between Oreo and Xbox, Saatchi & Saatchi Germany brought the nostalgia around cheat codes back. Inspired by the Xbox controller buttons, Oreo launched the cheat cookies - six different embossments, giving the cookies an innovative role and creating a gaming experience. From the iconic Xbox logo to the signature A, B, X, Y and arrow, consumers were able to create cheat codes with the cookies and unlock in-game content for three of the Xbox’s top-played games - 'Forza Horizon 5', 'Halo Infinite', and 'Sea of Thieves'.
Heinz - 'Unstainable Thobe'
Agency: Wunderman Thompson Dubai
Eating ketchup can sometimes lead to stains, particularly on traditional garments such as thobes. To solve this issue, Heinz created the 'Unstainable Thobe', specifically designed for ketchup lovers. The thobe, made from a special fabric - stain-proof, as they called it - repels ketchup, ensuring that the garment remains clean even after indulging in Heinz.
Colgate - 'Keep'
Agency: VMLY&R Paris x VMLY&R Lisbon x VMLY&R New York
The last one is an idea for Colgate that was released this year during Valentine’s Day. Inspired by the insight that a relationship starts to get serious when you leave a toothbrush at someone’s place, the brand created a limited edition to last a lifetime. Called 'Keep' and made of premium metal with replaceable brush heads, consumers are now able to gift the special toothbrush to the one that they want to keep.
