Work of the Week: 07/03/25

While Hollywood’s depiction of pirates over the years may lack a good deal of historical accuracy, nevertheless, I’ll admit it’s something I’ve always had a soft spot for. Blame it on a certain Johnny Depp-led franchise that I watched repeatedly growing up, but there’s just something about a swashbuckling setup on the high seas that delights my inner child every time.

Of course, something rarely discussed in those classic films is the fact that, undoubtedly, pirates would smell terrible. Sweating under the sun day after day, wearing the same clothes all the time and lacking a proper place to wash anything – not a recipe for favourable scents. And this little piece of insight was exactly what Old Spice, alongside Spanish agency Burns, needed to slide into this unique backdrop.

In an incredibly high-production value spot directed by Martín Jalfen through production company ROMA, we see our protagonist accused of being an intruder due to his uniquely good smell, before, inevitably, being pressured to walk the plank. While that alone is funny, watching our lead backflip into the sea, before riding away into the sunset on a giant seahorse (while declaring it, in an homage to the classic ‘I’m on a horse’ line) will undoubtedly put a smile on your face. Nostalgic yet new, this work is a striking, memorable, and, crucially, fun addition to Old Spice’s long history of quirky ads.

We all understand red flags in a relationship to be glaring signs of potential problems and someone to consider avoiding. But some of the most harmful signs are so subtle that they can go under the radar, even for the person experiencing it. To bring awareness to some of the unseen, unrecognised and unreported forms of domestic abuse that victims face, Refuge will fill London's Outernet immersive space with a sea of red flags this International Women's Day.

Created by AMV BBDO, who partnered with Pixel Artworks and Collective Studios, the installation will be made up of countless red flags, each printed with survivors’ real words such as "He's never actually physically hurt me, but–". As well as this, immersive screens will bring to life the toxic behaviours that victims often experience. These include tracking a survivor’s phone, isolating them from family and friends, or trying to control what they wear. Through this stark immersive installation, Refuge will be encouraging donations to support its vital work.

In the UK we’re used to the audacious marketing stunts that Specsavers does, so it’s great to see the same level of creative ambition applied to the brand in Sweden. In this innovative approach to digital out-of-home, the Specsavers and NORD DDB teams created a digital replica of the symptoms of glaucoma and installed it in digital billboards across the country. Using real-time views of Swedish landmarks, the billboards made them disappear when people stopped to look.

I’m a big fan of using digital billboards in ways that interact with the world and provide an interesting experience, and this one is instantly intriguing. I can see it causing a lot of people to stop and look, and maybe book an eye test.

Each time I’ve watched this campaign, I’ve shed a tear. For almost two billion Muslims around the world, it’s Ramadan; and yet, the holiest, most spiritual month of the year is marred by the horrors of war for those in areas like Lebanon.

When so much has been destroyed, dairy brand Puck and FP7 McCann have allied with Lebanese mothers to give them a sustainable means of economic empowerment. They’ve done so by having these women train international chefs to cook their treasured family recipes, to then be served in participating restaurants. All proceeds go directly to affected families.

Some of these mothers have never left their villages, but their stories and recipes are now transcending borders. In a situation where it would be so easy to feel abandoned by the rest of the world, it’s so moving to see them feel reconnected to the global community.

Tube men, the grooving and boogeying guys who billow and jive in front of used car stalls, have got to be one of the oldest marketing gimmicks in the book. And there’s a reason for that: They’re unignorable. 

That goes equally for this ad promoting the iPhone 16e, directed by Kim Gehrig. In it, we see a ‘wiggleman’ (is that what tube men are called in America? Citation needed) doing his thing soundtracked by the first listen of ‘Talk’, a new song by Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. Sure, it’s simple – but as generations of used car salesmen know, simplicity is very often all you need to turn heads. 

The Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, is the epitome of the phrase, ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’. However, this year, it was also a night to celebrate the millions of small businesses in the US, as insurance company Hiscox debuted its latest brand campaign, ‘There’s No Business Like Small Business’. 

An effortless blend of live-action performance, stop-motion animation, choreography and puppetry, the campaign shines a light on the long hours, dedication and immense amount of hard work that goes into running a small business. Created by independent ad agency Terri & Sandy, and directed by Freddie Powell through Drool Productions alongside a team of artisans from around the world, the campaign embodies the spirit of small businesses from the inside and out. 

It’s dark. The film starts off in what should be one of the most innocent places of all – a child's bedroom, where a mother is reading a bedtime story to her daughter. The mother's voice becomes the narrator as animated scenes unfold, depicting the story visually. 

It’s the story of a monster who raps at the door, unassuming enough. Outside, he’s friendly, and neighbours wave hello. But once inside, that changes. He darkens and grows, reactive to every slightness, any smallness. His attention turns to the mother, who dwindles beneath his towering, all-swallowing anger. The pace of the narrative poem quickens; panic ensues – the beast is out for blood. The viewer realises this is not a story. But rather, an autobiography Trojan horsed in fable clothing. That is, until a knock on the door brings us out of the animation, and back to the bedroom. 

“Dad’s home,” says the mother. Two words that should ignite warmth and comfort, instead flood her eyes with fear. A look that says her stomach has dropped, as if swallowing cement. 

It’s gutwrenching, and shamefully necessary viewing – depicting so painfully the juxtaposition of childhood innocence and the impending violence that is the reality of so many. 

New Zealand telco Skinny Mobile has created an AI clone of its happiest customer to serve as its digital brand ambassador. Partnering with Colenso BBDO, Skinny recruited long-time customer Liz Wright to develop the AI clone after she won the Skinny for Life competition.

The clone was created using a 360-degree body scan, voice recordings, and video footage, allowing Liz to appear in various advertising formats. The campaign highlights the creative potential of AI in advertising, blending innovation with customer advocacy. And it makes sense for the brand – Liz is being dubbed “the ultimate low-cost advertising machine” and Skinny Mobile is a low-priced telco.

It’s not the first time Colenso has used AI in a fresh way; the Immortal Award-winning ‘Adoptable’ for Pedigree used the technology to create professional-level images of shelter dogs to increase their chance of being adopted. 

This new application of AI for Skinny is ambitious, proudly claiming it’ll cut the brand’s advertising costs as most agencies worry about that very risk, and fellow telco Telstra in Australia avoids AI, instead investing in papercraft, stop-motion puppets, and hand-set domino runs to convey the brand’s ‘humanity’. 

We’ll be very interested to see a case study – will it attract more customers to the telco? – but in the meantime, we can’t wait to see where, and how, Liz shows up next.