A heartwarming Dutch State Lottery campaign, the incomplete story of the clitoris, Santa’s Taco Bell review and more weird and wonderful spots from this week, writes LBB’s Nisna Mahtani
As we approach the end of 2022, ads have come from far and wide to feature in this week’s selection of top work. We start in the Netherlands and then venture to Argentina, the UK, the USA and Israel as work ranges from festive to heartwarming, wonderfully quirky to informative and everything else in between.
While the Dutch State Lottery tugs on heartstrings and solidifies family bonds with ‘Husky Frida’, Tulipán Condoms & UNFPA take us through ‘The Incomplete Story of Pleasure’ and explain all the advancements which have been made, without considering female pleasure and the needs that may bring. On the quirkier side of things, Taco Bell UK launches its first ad with the help of YouTube sensation An0nymooose, as Santa’s review takes a suitably odd turn.
This week also includes a feature from Danny Trejo with Safe.Pharmacy, a look into Merrellville with Merrell footwear, the Ad Council teaming up with Meta to ‘Drop The F*Bomb’, Samsung using technology to bring people together and Thinkbox celebrating the effectiveness of TV as an advertising medium.
The Dutch State Lottery and agency TBWA\NEBOKO launched a heartwarming campaign which shows the importance of spending time with your loved ones. Following a father and son on a trip which takes them from husky sledging to saunas, ice fishing and more, the campaign's aim is to show people how winning 30 million Euros is the second-most beautiful prize, and that experiences and time with loved ones will always be the best part of the holiday season.
Tulipán Condoms & UNFPA - The Incomplete Story of Pleasure
BBDO Argentina, Tulipán condoms and UNFPA take viewers on a journey through the female anatomy. With so many questions and so little information surrounding the topic of female pleasure, it’s shocking to know that we reached the moon before science took the time to understand the needs of women. 'The incomplete story of pleasure' educates the audience on the only organ designed for pleasure through the medium of an ironic, musical, animated video depicting the lack of conversation and the serious need for both research and change.
In its first ever TV advert, Taco Bell UK worked with YouTube creator An0nymooose who helped create an unexpected film via The Or, to present us with the surreal experience of Santa’s taco YouTube review. As an animated Santa sits in a car park with his Taco Bell order, a series of weird events begin to unfold. Let's just say... this isn’t an ordinary Christmas ad… But it does remind viewers of Taco Tuesday and the fast food company’s appreciation of online cultures.
Nothing scares the legend who is Danny Trejo – except counterfeit meds. In this spot from Safe.Pharmacy and The-Artery, the actor goes through numerous ‘fake’ scenarios with knives, bombs and threats, with nothing phasing him, except the possibility of counterfeit medicine and drugs sold online. The moral of this story is to be wary, because – as we learn at the end – is Danny Trejo actually even in the ad, or is that fake too?
Outdoor active footwear brand Merrell and agency 1stAveMachine have used the aptly named town of Merrellville to celebrate holiday gift giving and raise awareness of the brand. Using an animated video to show children sledging down a snow topped slope, a bear’s roar shows that they aren’t actually on a mountain, but a Merrelle boot! In the second instalment of the campaign, we see the town of Merrellville come together to turn the Christmas boot lights on and celebrate the Christmas season.
In a PSA from the Ad Council and Meta, parents are encouraged to ‘Drop The F*Bomb’ but not in the way you might think. This f*bomb is Fentanyl - a drug which in 2021 was found in 77% of adolescent overdose deaths. Targeting parents and caregivers, the public service announcement aims to encourage adults to have honest and frank discussions with children about the drug and prevent the damaging effects which are a result of taking it.
No matter where you are this holiday season, sharing can bring people together in monumental ways – that’s the message from Samsung and Publicis Israel in this year’s Galaxy ‘Quick Share’ campaign for the holiday season. Bringing together two young friends, both stuck at their respective holiday parties, the connection across devices makes them closer – literally. With a cinematic take on a modern day coming together film, the spot shares its festive feels.
Nursery Rhyme Land gets its own Better Call Saul in this new campaign from the marketing body for TV advertising, Thinkbox. Together with Mother and Blinkink, they're telling the story of Michael Goose, a passionate and devoted lawyer who uses TV advertising to change his firm’s prospects. As the Happily Ever After Law Associates becomes an institution, the story mirrors the story of many businesses, that reach a stage of growth and seek media outlets as a means of advertising the business. The spot is a lawerly follow up to its 2019 tale of a #girlboss Tooth Fairy.