High Five: The Positive Impact of Cultural Relevance

Heinz's latest AI-generated work is a fantastic extension of its 'Draw Ketchup' campaign. People were asked to draw what they thought of when they thought of ketchup in the first round of the campaign. The most recent version advances the concept by challenging AI with the same problem, and it solidifies the brand evermore, stating when it comes to ketchup, no other brand is top of mind.

Gucci offers more than just clothing. It continuously draws inspiration from works of art, literature, metaverse trends and even theatrical performances. Season after season, the company is able to integrate culture and fashion with perfect accuracy. This is also true of the brand's most recent advertising effort, 'The Exquisite'. The short film for the campaign, which seems like a homage to Kubrick, which Mert and Marcus directed, honours the designer's lifelong passion for the creative potential of film.

'Re:Connect', a phygital experience that blurs the boundaries between the metaverse and the real-verse, allowing visitors to experience both worlds simultaneously. A month-long experiential event in the heart of Berlin, where Samsung connected devices acted as portals between the two worlds, allowing visitors to create AI-Artworks in the real-verse and see them exhibited in a metaverse gallery. Discover and preorder the newly-launched Galaxy foldable phones in the metaverse, or even enjoy a virtual drink while partying at a 24/7 month long meta-rave and pair it with a real drink at the real-verse’s Re:Connect Lounge. Instead of claiming that the metaverse can replace our real world, the 'Re:Connect' experience showed that we could make the best of both with the help of connected smart devices.

'Buy My Cancer' is an example that shows technology is, in fact, a force for good. Using actual cancer cells under the microscope to create NFTs, the idea of turning the very thing killing patients into the thing that may rescue them is ingenious.

I adore how Ryan Reynolds can trick us into watching advertisements without realising it, especially when they support worthy causes. He documented his 'perhaps life-saving' colonoscopy to spread the word about cancer and bring attention to a problem that is often hidden from view, 'pun intended'.