Work of the Week: 10/04/26
Gamm vert – Grow’ceries
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Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, managing editor, editorial strategy
It would be fair to say that many urban dwellers are disconnected from where food originates. Everything we’ll ever need can be found in the supermarket; no need to think twice about it, right? Gamm vert, a French garden centre and home-growing specialist, and Ogilvy Paris are asking people to reconsider that in a visual, practical way.
For a limited time, some of Gamm vert’s seed packets – like butternut squash, potatoes, and basil – are repackaged in the containers of the foods they help make: crisp packets, soup cartons, and pesto jars. It’s a reminder of where food comes from, and encouragement to grow your own. It’s educational without preaching loudly, and the images are a delight to look at as the repackaged products are harvested from the ground amid luscious close-ups of vegetables, dirt, and hands.
Hyundai – Forests Without Names
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Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Following the Cannes Lions Gold-winning ‘Tree Correspondents’ work, Hyundai and BBDO New York have expanded the car brand’s ‘IONIQ Forest Project’ into ocean ecosystems. ‘Forests Without Names’ identifies that ocean forests have historically not been named, and thus have been largely excluded from climate policy and conservation frameworks. Not to mention, it’s simply more difficult to get people to care about something without a name.
This latest initiative aims to bring these ‘invisible forests’ into the public consciousness, as well as formal environmental legislation, hoping that ecosystems which are noticed and recognisable will subsequently be protected. Alongside the supporting filmwork, the initiative introduces a website featuring the first unified global map of sea forests, offering locally-sourced options for names, which visitors can vote on.
Chupa Chups – No More Wrestling
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Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Asia reporter
Chupa Chups adorned in custom-made wrestling masks is something I never thought I'd see. But the idea is genius. To promote the brand's new easy-to-open packaging, BBH London came up with 'No More Wrestling', a simple insight leading to a wacky and memorable pay-off.
In collaboration with renowned Mexican mask designer and crafter Arturo Bucio, three Chupa Chups wrappers were turned into Lucha Libre masks inspired by the flavours (apple, strawberry and cola), resulting in striking OOH visuals that are sure to win attention.
De’Longhi – The World’s Smallest Coffee Shop
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Chosen by Scarlett Sherriff, EMEA reporter
If you truly loved coffee and you could afford to go to a picturesque coffee shop every day, why wouldn’t you? Frankly, money and time constraints are an unending bore, ruinous to everything.
Luckily, De’Longhi has created a solution which injects a bit of joy into the mundane everyday. As part of its latest platform, the coffee brand has created machines that bring miniature versions of some of the world’s most iconic coffee shops to customers’ kitchens.
Created by LOLA Madrid in collaboration with master craftsman Simon Weisse – who is famous for his work with Wes Anderson – each model has been handcrafted with intricate details that bring a touch of cinematic charm to an average Monday morning. Wonderfully whimsical and beautiful to look at, the work transforms a functional object into an aspirational piece of escapism that lets you pour your cup and travel with your mind.
Fuck Cancer – Beat Cancer Off
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
Sometimes the low-brow idea is the right one. It takes courage to bring a concept to the table like this one from VML Health that is, essentially, a series of wank jokes. But then again, it’s a strategically sound idea. New science suggests that men who ejaculate 21 or more times per month may reduce their risk of prostate cancer by up to 22%. Having understood that, it is very clear what the call to action has to be if we want to reduce cases of the disease.
Then, the fun part must have begun: brainstorming different ways to communicate the medical benefits of ‘wrestling the eel’, ‘playing five against one’, or ‘buttering the corn’, working them into a crooner-style song that wouldn’t be out of place in a Las Vegas residency, and then making an animated music video visualising every vulgar metaphor in the extensive list. It’s actually a work of great aesthetic value.
There are so many fun details, whether it’s the chance to learn phrases in other languages like ‘Shiko Shiko Suru’, or watching influencers respond to limited-edition boxes containing 21 tissues, or a 21-sock pack by Pair of Thieves (probably best not to think about that one too much).
LEGO – Everyone Wants a Piece
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Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
“#HonestlyItsNotAI”, LEGO writes in the Instagram caption of its film featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Vini Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. And to be honest, it seems a fair disclaimer to make, given how tough it must be to get four of the world’s best footballers in the same room at the same time.
However, LEGO pulled it off, bringing the sportsmen together for its ‘Everyone Wants a Piece’ campaign. Celebrating the first time that the four sporting heroes would come to life as LEGO minifigures in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup 2026, the film, created by Our LEGO Agency, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, and directed by Dan French through Stink UK, sees the players seated around a revolving table, battling to place their minifigures on top of the golden FIFA World Cup trophy.
Emulating the competitive, high-stakes nature of the upcoming tournament, the campaign has since amassed over 15 million likes on Instagram, engaged fans across the globe, and raised awareness of its LEGO Editions football sets. It's fair to say, the brand took the opportunity to shoot, and it sure did score.
Kotex – Art’s Missing Period
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Chosen by Cathy Meyer-Funnell, EMEA reporter
It can be tricky to get the tone right when advertising period products, but Kotex managed to avoid the potential pitfalls of cringe with a short documentary exploring blood in art history.
Created in partnership with DAVID London and Ogilvy Singapore, the campaign takes viewers from prehistoric cave art to the present day, to explore how violence and bloody gore have long been a socially acceptable art form, whereas the depiction of menstrual blood remains a taboo. The practice of banishing women to small isolated huts when on their period due to fears of them being ‘impure’ still exists in countries such as Nepal (in spite of it being criminalised), while in the US, the artist Akira Crosby had her work removed from a gallery because it contained period blood. The documentary itself, narrated by journalist and producer Noor Tagouri, educates the audience without patronising or overtly stoking outrage; the topic is too interesting and important for that.
When I was at high school in the early 2010s, being on your period was still spoken about in whispers. Sanitary products were exchanged covertly, as if engaging in a drug deal, while the expectation from students and teachers alike was that you would put up and shut up. I hope that things have changed for the better, but with this campaign, Kotex has proven why these conversations remain so necessary.
E470 – Drives Like a Dream
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Chosen by Anthony Gasowski, editorial assistant
As a New Jerseyan, the one thing that annoys me more than being the only state where we can’t pump our own gas are our toll roads. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike, any of the major Hudson River crossings, or literally any other major roadway that leads you out of the state – there’s often a toll waiting for you to feed it money.
No matter where one lives in the US, it's typical for someone to ask themselves why they should be paying to get to their destination just a tad bit faster. However, Standard Practice made an ad that offers a valid explanation by showcasing the beauty of E470, a toll road located just outside of Denver, Colorado.
Toll roads like these aren’t just about getting to your destination faster; you’re getting to your destination feeling comfortable and luxurious. And with each toll you pass through on this highway, your contribution is going towards maintaining a high-end driving experience. This ad reframes a toll as a price for an elevated journey, rather than an annoying fee you have to pay.
IKEA Saudi Arabia – Step Buy Step
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Chosen by Zara Naseer, writer, editorial strategy
This week has seen FP7 McCann Dubai come up with an innovative way to boost time spent in shops for two different brands in the Middle East. First came IKEA Saudi Arabia, offering a 10% discount to IKEA Family members who complete at least 4,000 steps before reaching the checkout, tracked by a BRÄSLET (bracelet) handed out at the entrance.
The campaign is satisfying for how many boxes it ticks. It coincides with World Health Day, but is also especially suited to its market, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ‘Quality of Life Program’ and addressing its relatively low average step count of 3,807 per day.
At the same time, it’s a simple, sustainable, and impressively on-brand way to keep customers browsing, poking fun at the furniture store’s maze-like layout. The same goes for the campaign assets, flooded with IKEA’s signature blue and yellow – there’s no way they could be advertising anyone else.
Shout out to the copywriting, too – renaming IKEA stores as ‘Saudi’s biggest fitness centres’ and declaring that ‘Our floor plan is a fitness plan’ certainly roused a smile.
Parkin – Spots for Shops
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Chosen by Zara Naseer, writer, editorial strategy
One of the major quirks you notice in Dubai, even during a passing visit, is the usage of cars for any kind of trip. FP7 McCann Dubai’s second footfall scheme of the week addresses the impact this has on small businesses.
Turns out, 90% of residents rely on private vehicles, which can disincentivise stopping to shop at neighbourhood stores (after all, they come with the extra cost of paid parking spaces). Working with Parkin, a paid public parking facilities and service provider, the agency has reversed this to become an incentive instead.
Paid parking spots now say things like ‘Pay for your parking with a lassi’. People who stop there and meet the minimum spend at the associated business can then offset their parking fees. Charmingly, the campaign film describes this as turning parking spots into welcome mats.
Once again, the campaign feels well-adapted to its market, and geared toward societal good. A win-win way to support small-businesses.
Bookxcess – Brain Un-Rot Library
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Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
As our feeds fill up with slop, this book retailer in Malaysia wants to save us from the doomscroll by encouraging us to read. What a, err, novel idea. It’s turning brain rot against itself with a series of pitch perfect videos that mimic the worst kind of low-effort social dross. You know, the ‘oddly satisfying videos’ and ‘Minecraft’ walkthroughs with an AI-voiced reading of a Reddit AITA post layered on top. Only, Bookxcess is sneaking a bit of literature into the slop.
The videos translate some of the classics, from ‘Frankenstein’ to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, into the parlance of the social media age, and it’s clear that the team at Grey Malaysia (part of Ogilvy Malaysia) has had bags of fun with the copywriting here. It’s social work that feels truly native and hijacks one of the worst trends in social to surprising effect.
Desperados – Cara De Meme
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Chosen by Olivia Atkins, craft editor EMEA
‘Cara De Meme’ sharply taps into gen z culture, subverting the fear of being judged and forever captured on social media by turning something cringe into something empowering. Here, Le Pub reframes ‘cringe culture’ to instead make it a badge of confidence. The lo-fi, social-first execution produced through Division reinforces the importance of being authentic, while the trending ‘worm move’ adds a dose of nostalgia to the piece. Playful and entertaining, ultimately, the ad works because it doesn’t just observe behaviour, but participates in culture and invites audiences to join in.
Škoda – DuoBell
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Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
Science is very much not my forte, but there are a lot of numbers and statistics in this that piqued my inner nerd's interest. Did you know that there are over 1.5 million bike commutes a day in London? Or that 54% of headphones now have noise cancellation? And that there's been a whopping 24% increase in cycling-pedestrian collisions? When you combine the former two stats, the latter really comes as no surprise.
So, step forward Škoda, which, teaming up with AMV BBDO, PHD Media and Unit9, has launched‘DuoBell: a cycling bell that penetrates active noise cancellation (ANC) in an attempt to make the city's streets a safer experience for cyclists and pedestrians alike. Most people probably recognise Škoda as a car manufacturer, yet it's a company with a rich two-wheeled history. Firstly as a bicycle maker, then motorcycles, and now a dedicated supporter of cycling events – including a 20-year stint sponsoring Tour de France – so it's a natural initiative for the brand to explore.
It's an analogue solution to a digital problem, which, frankly, I didn't know existed. And it's been tested on Deliveroo drivers across with promising results (trials found that pedestrians wearing ANC headphones had as much as five extra seconds and up to 22 meters to react when the bell was activated, providing a critical safety margin). It would be nice to see this rolled out properly and made available on the mass market, although for now, we'll have to make do with the findings being made available as an open-source whitepaper.
M&M’s – Protect the Peanut
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Chosen by Tara McKerr, Americas reporter
The chocolate brand known best for its delicious nuts is on a mission to protect the peanut. In a short mockumentary created by BBDO Chicago, directed by Sunny Sixteen via nobodys, we see how the Mars Wrigley brand solved the problem of peanut M&M’s being the most complained-about product.
In part, a dear love letter to farmers, in another, a celebration of science, combined with a nod to the M&M superfans who fuel the brand to push forward, the film is a surprisingly endearing sum of its parts. Partnering with the University of Georgia, M&M’s advanced natural breeding to develop more resilient varieties, while Mars Wrigley put its money where its mouth is, adding 12 million USD to support growers in planting a new variety of peanut that stays fresher for longer.
For a campaign that follows through at each touchpoint, this certainly earns its place amongst the best work of this week.
Optus -- It Takes a Lot to Make a Movie
Chosen by Lilya Murray, AUNZ reporter
The best way to appeal to film buffs is to show appreciation for what they love, and Optus nails this in its debut work with Droga5.
‘It Takes a Lot to Make a Movie’ spotlights the lengths to which filmmakers go to ask for audiences’ full attention, moving beyond a polite ‘turn off your phone’ request to instead show why phones should be silent – and who could argue with that?
Abraham Lincoln is imitated by a dad in one spot capturing a family’s dinnertime. Fixated boom operators feature in the second spot, revealed once the film ‘cuts’ and the camera pans out to show the crew as the focus, not the scene itself.
It’s another injection of creativity for cinema ads, from telcos; Telstra’s highly-crafted silent films launched last year. Launching with cinema ads first after a long advertising pause is an interesting move from Optus, and we can’t wait to see what it does next.
