Work of the Week: 28/03/25
Oat Cult - Overnight Oats Without the Sacrifice
Chosen by Zoe Antonov, EMEA reporter, UK production
If you know anything about me, it is that I take breakfast extremely seriously. It is, in a way, a spiritual experience – you break the fast. And I’m not among those who can chug a black coffee and call it a morning, so overnight oats are very much up my street. However, the prospect of preparing breakfast from the evening before can be quite daunting for some, with good reason. So, Oat Cult, the instant oats brand, has created a brilliant comedy-horror to showcase why overnight oats can go “without the sacrifice.”
Black and white visuals, ‘Midsommar’ references and confused dancing produced by Insiders Creative and Three Shades Creative, the film is an ode to the recent good horror resurgence, which I also happen to be a fan of. And the juxtaposition between terrifying sound design and… overnight oats, is just brilliant.
1001 Optometry - The Hidden Eye Test
Chosen by Tom Loudon, APAC/AUNZ reporter
In a groundbreaking move for preventive healthcare, 1001 Optometry has launched ‘The Hidden Eye Test’ – an outdoor campaign that changes its message based on viewers’ eye health.
Developed with VML and AI artist Prospex Park, the campaign uses strategically blurred text that only appears clearly to those with vision impairment. If you see words like “eye test” or “eye scan”, it’s time to book an appointment. If not, the sleek frames might still tempt you in-store.
The ads, placed on billboards and social media, detect issues like near-sightedness, glaucoma, or even diabetes-linked vision changes based on viewing distance. As VML CD Jack Delmonte said, “This campaign is the first eye test where if you pass, you fail.”
‘The Hidden Eye Test’ is conceptually brilliant, and elegantly executed, pushing OOH advertising into new territory.
Artist Prospex Park spent a year refining the AI illusion, blending Stable Diffusion, MidJourney, and manual Photoshop work. The result? A health check disguised as high-fashion advertising.
What could be misconstrued as an aesthetic choice is actually a remarkably clever health intervention in advertising form. The fusion of medical utility and high-fashion visuals creates an unusually purposeful piece of brand communication that elevates the category.
With 50% of Australians facing preventable eye decline, this campaign doesn’t just tell you to get tested – it shows you why. And in the process, it sets a benchmark for meaningful, tech-driven creativity.
Twix – Two Is More Than One
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA members reporter
‘Stupid in the best way’ is what comes to mind when I watch the new Twix campaign from adam&eveDDB. Directed by Business Club's Vedran Rupic, it starts off pretty cool – great soundtrack, desert road setting, high-speed chase – but takes a bit of a turn when the driver takes a bit of a turn. Off a cliff.
The weirdness builds up to a comedic pan down revealing the now overturned car balanced perfectly upon a duplicate of itself, the first driver’s long hair – and Twix – cascading into the one below. One blue steel bite of a Twix stick later, and the twins drive off to their sweet escape. And then we get the slogan: ‘Two is more than one.’ It’s dumb and I am delighted.
Now apparently, this idea of not choosing between the left or right Twix and instead having it all is one that “resonates with a younger audience who are moving away from polarisation to a culture of togetherness, mash-ups and maximalist living.” Personally, I’m not so sure the way you eat a Twix reflects your worldview. I just like silly messages delivered in wonderfully dramatic ways.
Epitaph Group - Garbage Media
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Europe reporter
Want to know an absolutely ludicrous fact? Each year, brands spend an average of $72 billion on media annually. But 41% of that is a total waste due to lacking oversight and due diligence from media agencies.
Worried that those agencies have been veering dangerously far from the true craft involved in media, seeking instead impressions and automated tools, Epitaph Group created ‘Garbage Media’.
The stunt listed non-desirable placements near well-known and high-traffic locations, successfully selling the Garbage Media placement to very real media agencies across the QSR, tourism, and CPG categories.
It’s clever, quite brave, and really makes the point. At a time when budgets are more stretched than ever, it’s important that media spend isn’t going down the drain.
MLB - Heroes of the Game
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
The first pitch of MLB's 2025 season took place in Japan this year, with Tokyo playing host to a series between the Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers. Baseball is already a huge sport in Japan, and fans packed the Tokyo Dome to watch American baseball's biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, get his Dodgers off to a winning start.
Capturing the moment, Wieden+Kennedy Portland partnered with animation studio Passion and Echelle Studios’ director, Hiroshi Shimizu, to create an anime short, 'Heroes of the Game'. The vibrant, action-packed film is soundtracked by J-Pop artist Adowas and shows the likes of Paul Skenes, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge using baseball super powers in a variety of fantastical scenarios.
There's an out-of-the-park homerun from a flaming meteorite delivery that gives a new meaning to 'heater', a fastball that erupts into a dragon, and a slugging match with a colossal statue. It's beautifully crafted and will even get non-fans hyped for the season. I'm sure many would watch a full series of the anime, too.
Zalando - What Do I Wear?
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas members reporter
“What do I wear?” The big question so many of us ask ourselves as we prepare for an event. How do I dress to stand out, but also fit in, but also look good, and be comfortable at the same time? This spot, for international online retailer Zalando features ‘Sex and the City’ star Sarah Jessica Parker, who goes to show that even the biggest fashion icons sometimes struggle to put the perfect ensemble together.
The fast paced yet playful energy of the film is reinforced by the music choice, ‘All You Children’ ft The Avalanches by DJ Jamie xx, which was cleared for use in the spot by music and sound company Tracks & Fields.
VW x Kong - 75 Stories
Chosen by Addison Capper, Americas managing editor
Advertising is nothing without human insight—and this VW campaign from Johannes Leonardo is built on one of the best I’ve come across in ages. Honestly, it’s the best little fact I’ve heard in a long time, full stop.
The idea for dog toy brand KONG, known for its ‘indestructible’ rubber toys, started in a Denver auto repair shop. Founder Joe Markham’s German Shepherd, Fritz, found a spare rubber axle stop from a Volkswagen Type 2 Bus and started chewing on it. Even his powerful teeth couldn’t destroy it—and that moment sparked Joe’s idea to turn the durable rubber into the iconic KONG toy.
Fast forward to today: VW and KONG have teamed up on a special edition dog toy that doesn’t just nod to that origin story—it also supports shelter dogs, both financially and with extra toys to play with. “It was too magical not to pursue,” said Zoe Kessler, executive creative director at Johannes Leonardo, when she talked me through the campaign. Read the full piece here.
Corona - Your Daily Sun
Chosen by April Summers, North Americas features lead and Canada reporter
Beer tastes better in the sunshine and there’s no arguing with that. It is, in fact, the recommended dosage: Most Effective When Taken On A Beach, In Direct Sunlight. Corona, being Mexican, is one such beer, synonymous with sunny climes and stunning vistas. It makes sense, then, that the latest global campaign for the brand centres around turning newspapers featuring 'The Sun' in their name into a gateway to relaxation.
Dreamt up by DAVID Bogotá, the clever campaign ties into the unveiling of the new Corona Island in Colombia, inviting beer lovers and sun seekers to escape and relax with a beer. The stunt will run across a number of print publications including the Toronto Sun, South Africa’s Daily Sun, and El Sol de Mexico, reminding readers to chill out with a cold and reinforcing Corona’s ‘This is Living’ philosophy. Given how crazy and politicised 2025 has been so far, this straightforward and paradisiacal premise feels like a breath of fresh air.
KFC x BK x Montoya - McDonald's, por favor!
Chosen by Alex Reeves, EMEA managing editor
As someone who is trying to avoid looking at my phone whenever I don’t have to, I’m not online enough to know what ‘Montoya, por favour!’ means. But I have done my research and come to appreciate the cultural relevance of this campaign by Havas France for KFC, who has copped off with Burger King to get busy making a tasty new burger for the French public together. Just like the contestants on Spanish reality TV show ‘Temptation Island’, who participated in one of the great dramatic arcs of 2025 so far by engaging in an act of sexual betrayal that was live streamed to the victim of said affair, Jose Carlos Montoya. The idea shows a cultural fluency which I am personally lacking. But when I got the joke, I found it really funny. I don’t think McDonald’s will be having the same level of meltdown as Montoya though, but I could be wrong.
TD Insurance - Pole Pillows
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
Insurance advertising can often be a tricky task. How do you simultaneously grab attention, while demonstrating to consumers that you’re going to be there for them, through thick and thin, in reliable, timely, and meaningful style? As it turns out, taking the brief literally and showing up in physical fashion can work wonders – something demonstrated by TD Insurance and its creative agency, Diamond, earlier this week.
More specifically, to underscore the brand’s commitment to being there for drivers with its insurance, the two created ‘Pole Pillows’, which saw the installation of labelled, soft padded wraps on concrete poles in some of Toronto’s highest-traffic parking lots. A brilliant way to both prevent parking mishaps and demonstrate how TD is ready to help even before you call upon its services, this clever campaign ticked all the boxes, generating conversation, building brand affinity, and bringing a degree of fun to what might otherwise be a serious and easy-to-ignore topic.
