Work of the Week: 31/01/25
Kraft Heinz – Trigger the Taste
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Europe reporter
It has to be… Heinz. Or at least that’s how our brain finishes the sentence. It’s through decades of hammering home the message that the brand is now able to lean back and relax into copywriting that it now calls home, safe in the knowledge that we’ll get it.
The recent out-of-home campaign from Wieden+Kennedy London, which hinges on Britain’s favourite food pairings, has rolled out nationwide. The visuals consist of close-up images of swirly, thick mayo, glossy ketchup (so shiny we’re wondering if it’s sauce or paint), glistening beans, and chunky marinara. They’re finished with classic Heinz typography and a tiny font boasting its 150+ year legacy. Food photography has always taken my interest; there’s a level of patience and painstaking grit taken to make something look appetising.
While it’s far from revolutionary, there’s something to be said for simple execution done well.
Kellogg’s – The OG
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
Ad agencies are playing a game of chicken with each other at the moment. How much of their clients’ distinctive brand assets can they strip away from their out-of-home advertising before it loses all meaning for people? And Leo Burnett London (soon to be renamed just Leo London, I presume) has been playing chicken very well this week with Kellogg’s. Someone there noticed that the letters ‘OG’ feature in the brand name, so they’ve removed everything else – to remind people that the brand is ‘The OG’ of breakfast. Which is pretty hard to argue with, given that John Harvey Kellogg introduced the world to Corn Flakes way back in the 1890s (for the possibly apocryphal but too interesting not to note reason that a less stimulating start to the day would reduce people's urge to masturbate).
I love that this campaign has annoyed certain people on marketing LinkedIn, seemingly on the basis that some of them presume people have never heard the phrase ‘OG’ (original gangster, if you haven’t). But early results from System1’s testing suggest this isn’t a problem for most people. And it’s certainly a plus for me. I think it's confident, clear advertising and the message is clear as day. I wish that the full logo hadn’t ended up in the bottom corner, but maybe removing that would have rendered it completely incomprehensible. If this minimalism contest continues, maybe we’ll find out how far is too far. But we're not there yet.
Cadbury – Made to Share
Chosen by Zara Naseer, members reporter, EMEA
This week, Cadbury’s redesigned its packaging with the help of VCCP and Bulletproof, cheekily suggesting how to portion out its chocolate fairly. The integrated ‘Made to Share’ campaign – part of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk ‘Generosity’ brand platform – divides the bars into different sized servings depending on who deserves what, cleverly aligning the act of sharing chocolate with human connection.
There are different iterations for a range of contexts, from the home, to the workplace, to the group chat. Here’s one that might speak to LBB’s readers: ‘who presented the slides’ gets double that of ‘who took notes’, who gets double that of ‘who contributed a “cheers all” at the end’. Justice is served.
It’s taken off even outside of adland, with people online tagging their friends in comments along the lines of ‘Guess which one you are’ and ‘Guilty!’ Honestly, I think it’s rare for ‘relatable’ campaigns to actually be relatable, but this one’s clearly resonated with Dairy Milk lovers nationwide.
Hellmann’s – When Sally Met Hellmann’s
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
It's no secret, I'm a big fan of the motion picture 'When Harry Met Sally'. It's a perfect rom-com. Hell, it's a perfect film. I'm also a big fan of one of the stars of the film... Of course, I'm talking about deli sandwiches.
Having made my own pilgrimage to the iconic Katz's Deli last year, this recreation of a memorable scene between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan set in the New York institution has, unsurprisingly, won me over. This reunion, much like the sandwich that 'Sally' eats, hits the spot – without overdoing it. Hellmann's and VML have brought a healthy dollop of nostalgia to this Super Bowl spot – and Sydney Sweeney's cameo is just the... pickle? on top... interjecting with exactly what everyone is thinking.
Squarespace – A Tale As Old As Websites (Super Bowl Teaser)
Chosen by Adam Bennett, features editor, Americas
Last year, Squarespace went blockbuster for the Super Bowl. An epic depiction of an alien invasion directed by, and starring, Martin Scorsese represented a big swing for the Big Game. But this year, things are looking decidedly more lo-fi – and we’re here for it.
Barry Keoghan sits in a quiet Irish pub – the kind where the air is still and the walls are adorned with pictures of sports teams from decades ago – alongside his dear friend Mosley, a comically large and dumbfounded donkey. And Barry is out to prove, in his own inimitably charming way, that a website really can work for any old ass. Even an actual ass. The mockumentary style makes for a cocktail of silliness and simplicity that’s whet our appetite for the ad itself, and continues Squarespace’s winning Super Bowl run.
The Ordinary – The Truth Should Be Ordinary
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, UK editor
Much of beauty marketing is predicated on obfuscation and correlation. ‘We infused this moisturiser with rose stem cells for ultimate skin rejuvenation’. Cue images of velvety rose petals inferring that you, too, will look as pretty as a flower after spending serious £££ on the pot of promise.
It’s an illusion that works well for everyone except the consumer. Beauty brand The Ordinary has been breaking down beauty product and ingredient myths since its inception. Now, with help from Uncommon Creative Studio, The Ordinary is releasing a series of white papers, accessible to all, that dispel common disbeliefs and mistruths that surround the industry. It’s ‘The Wikileaks of Beauty’.
The free resources will live in a digital archive where anyone can fact-check dubious claims made by the beauty industry. Uncommon interpreted some of the archive’s ‘truths’ in striking, conceptual black and white imagery that speaks directly to the consumer about the myths they’ve been led to believe.
White Ribbon – My Friend, Max Hate
Chosen by Jordan Neufeldt, Canada reporter
This isn’t one of those campaigns you watch and come away from with a good or satisfied feeling. Rather, you feel a sense of despair and discomfort twist in your stomach, because the truth is, this ad by Bensimon Byrne on behalf of White Ribbon is absolutely spot on.
Even from the first few seconds watching, you probably have a sense of where this Angie Bird-directed film (Westside Studio) is going. An isolated, insecure young boy, with no one else to turn to begins listening to a misogynistic online puppet – an eerily-familiar facsimile of a certain influencer who pervades the online space today. But that’s just it. It’s a story told time and time again, which, in real life or this ad, always leads to the same place: another young man falling victim to the allure of misogyny, the ‘manosphere’, and overall toxic masculinity. Really, there’s not much more to say than that. It’s beautifully shot, the puppet whispering in the ear is fantastically sinister, and the message is tragically all too relevant – a poignant reminder that we must and cannot wait to push back against the alarming rise of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Trainline – Get Your Bum On Board!
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
Sustainability can be a painfully dry topic. But do you know one way to make it more inviting? Talk about bums. In this case, specifically bums on train seats, the more of which we have versus bums on car seats, the better off we will all be. Created by DEPT and directed by Glenn Kitson, ‘Bums on Board’'s visuals draw from Britain's proud punk scene while an equally British musical genre – jungle – rings loud in the soundtrack. The combination makes for a sustainability ad that is legitimately entertaining.
British Columbia Securities Commission – We Are All F**ked: AI Investment Scams
Chosen by April Summers, North America features lead
When this work dropped in my inbox I was immediately intrigued. Not only is it freakishly funny in a "oh my goodness, have you seen this..." kind of way, but the messaging is also extremely accessible. This is a real achievement, given the fact that this film was made to support one of Canada's independent securities trading regulators – hardly an obvious contender for humourous and relatable creative. But ONE23WEST – best known for helping brands evolve their identity, positioning, and messaging – came at this from a wholly inspired angle. The result is an earworm music video with mind-boggling visual effects which simultaneously serve as a cautionary tale and a relatable nod to the AI powers that be. And that's impactful work.
Citroën – The Alien
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, members reporter, Americas
In arguably the greatest plot twist of the year so far, Citroën made us fall in love with a deceptively cute alien, only to gasp in disbelief at his unprecedented actions in the name of automotive desire. An inspired reimagining for the typical alien-meets-human story trope, the campaign marks a new direction for automotive advertising, prioritising narrative and entertainment over the slick sophistication which has become characteristic of the category.
The cinematic spectacle has it all: high stakes, loveable characters, impeccable soundscape and original score, and not forgetting, “maybe the most comfortable car in the universe”. Created by BETC Paris with direction from Gary Freedman, the film proves that no one can withstand the power of puppy-dog eye charm.
Axis Bank – Devanagari PIN
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Asia reporter
If you could create the best banking PIN in the world, you would want it to be impossible to guess but easy to remember. That's what Axis Bank in India is now offering its customers. In answer to the millions of people vulnerable to fraud through predictable PIN choices (choosing numbers such as birth dates or anniversaries), AutumnGrey has designed a breakthrough solution for the brand: Devanagari PIN.
Noting that unpredictable numbers are hard to remember, AutumnGrey created a custom-built font, allowing users to choose a memorable word rather than a number to use as their banking PIN. The secret is that each word reveals a series of hidden numbers within, which then becomes your secure banking PIN. Devanagari script serves as a visual mnemonic to make your PIN easy to remember and nearly impossible to guess.
Uber Eats – Time Machine, No. Thyme, Yes
Chosen by Brittney Rigby, AUNZ managing editor
Uber Eats' 'Get Almost, Almost Anything' platform is everything you want in a long idea: distinctive, tied to both the brand's core offering and its growth plans (pushing further into the grocery category), strong enough to spur endless creative executions but not so rigid as to smother them, and effective.
The risk in building a platform through star-studded campaigns, though, is the formula tires, the celebs fall flat, and/or the brand maxes out on star power. There's been Nicola Coughlan, Jason Alexander, and very recently, Andy Murray. And now, the biggest icon of all, Cher, for the platform's best campaign yet.
Cher orders a time machine to 'Turn Back Time' to the 80s, and accidentally ends up in the 1680s, where she's accused of being a witch, and burned at the stake. Uber Eats and Special have outdone themselves. I don't know how they'll top this one. But I do know I wouldn't bet against them.
