Work of the Week: 13/03/26
Huggies – Expensive Sh*t
Chosen by Anthony Gasowski, editorial assistant
I remember back when Phil Swift sawed a metal boat in half to show us the true power of Flex Tape and thought just how extreme, unnecessary, yet effective that stunt was. Huggies’ recent partnership with McCann takes a similar, just as extreme approach: putting half a million dollars’ worth of luxurious (mostly white) goods under siege by 18 well-fed babies for one hour to test if their diapers can live up to their standard. If this wasn’t extreme enough, this stunt was streamed live for the whole internet to watch.
Did they seriously have to spend all of that money for this? No.
Did this get their message across? Yes.
In a project that combines luxury, chaos, and cuteness, Huggies took this ambitious route to prove to sceptical parents that their products are reliable. In the end, if a diaper could protect a Turkish rug or the hood of a luxury convertible from a stinky mess, it should offer that same protection to beds, couches, and carpets across family homes.
Guinness – A Lovely Day
Chosen by Cathy Meyer-Funnell, reporter, EMEA
When I was on my year abroad living in Europe as a university student, I met an Ethiopian man in a hostel in Vienna, and as we were making small talk I told him that I grew up in Norwich. I certainly didn’t expect him to have a clue where that was, but surprisingly, he nodded and explained he knew all about Norwich City, the football team.
The power of the English Football League truly is global, as showcased in this charming Guinness spot created by VML in their first above-the-line work for the brand. The film takes us to Kenya to meet and have a kickabout with fans of Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton to name just a few as they celebrate matchday with their own rituals and community gatherings. There’s so much I genuinely love about this, with the yellow and blue braided hair to match Leeds United’s colours and the rooster balancing on a ball in a shout out to Spurs standing out as particularly delightful details. It’s a lovely day for a Guinness and a lovely day for Guinness and football fans alike.
Coinbase – Your Way Out
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Coinbase is inviting Americans to find ‘Your Way Out of Their System’, with a retro video game-inspired new film launching at the Oscars.
Created by New York indie, Isle of Any, and directed by Oscar Hudson via MJZ, ‘Your Way Out’ challenges viewers to recognise that they’re living as financial NPCs (non-playable characters) in the big game of life.
The American cryptocurrency exchange recently made headlines with its Super Bowl spot that turned living rooms across the country into a Backstreet Boys karaoke session. However, this latest work takes a more cinematic approach to tell people the odds are stacked against them in a rarely questioned system.
As Coinbase rolls out a new suite of financial products throughout the year, ‘Your Way Out of Their System’ will stand as a larger platform in the following months, highlighting the need for a new, decentralised financial system. The work positions Coinbase as more than a crypto exchange; rather, a path to greater economic freedom.
Orange – The Match Before the Match
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
Access to sport and education remain unevenly distributed privileges for millions of women globally. According to the WHO, young girls typically drop out of club sports at age 14-15, coinciding with the end of mixed-gender participation. In rural areas of France, a lack of local women's teams forces players to travel disproportionately longer than men’s teams. While the French Football Federation has a record 251,000 registered female players, it faces the challenge of doubling that number by 2028. Players still face the "match before the match," which as Publicis Conseil highlight in this campaign for Orange, involves girls convincing families and asserting their right to play in restricted spaces.
But the mobile network is taking action. The brand has become the first federal commercial partner to allocate sponsorship with 100% financial equality, split 50-50 between men's and women's football. It supports over 200 amateur clubs in France with equipment grants, 100 of which are exclusively women's teams. Since 2019, Orange has educated 500,000 children on responsible digital use through the FFF’s Federal Educational Programme. The mobile network is leveraging its partnership with OL Lyonnes to feature interviews with elite players like Wendie Renard and Selma Bacha to discuss overcoming industry barriers and the brand supports Graine de Footballeuses, an association that assists young girls' development through football at the grassroots level.
All of these facts are driven home by an elegant human story – a piece of film recognising one girl’s thoughts and feelings as she simply tries to play football. Its approach is wildly different from the genius, multi award-wining ‘WoMen’s Football’ three years ago, but it’s no less illustrative of the brand’s dedication to changing the game.
KitKat – Dash
Chosen by Scarlett Sherriff, reporter, EMEA
Everyone knows that KitKat is synonymous with a break. Here’s the drill: pick a two finger or four finger, rip open the foil, break off a delicious bit of chocolate-covered wafer and dunk it in your warm brew of choice. Rarely do brands embed themselves so much in people’s daily lives. And when they do, they are faced with managing the delicate balance between consistency and rejuvenation.Luckily for KitKat, a clever piece of intuition has led to a creative work which links the shape of the chocolate, taking a break, and the ever-present debate around the dash (the written break AI had brought to prominence). Created by Canadian agency Courage, ‘Dash’ plays on how just like the punctuation, a Kit Kat is a sort of quiet, refreshing liminal space. A series of out-of-home works, and a 30-second video, show how it's consumed as a pause during a hectic 9 to 5, to pass the time at the airport, or when you need to get away from marathoning your favourite TV series. Kudos for inventive continuity, for playing with a piece of punctuation to remind consumers that in pauses useful, or otherwise, it’s time for a KitKat.
M&S – Love That
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
M&S loves the girlies, and the girlies love M&S. Not a week goes by in the LBB office without the sentence “Thanks, It’s from M&S!” being used, so it’s no surprise that this campaign from Mother was a firm favourite for our Work of the Week roundup this week. Starring Gillian Anderson as M&S’ first chief compliments officer, the brand has kicked off a celebrity partnership that just feels right, and the film is the perfect accompaniment.
Directed by Rubberband via SMUGGLER, the hero spot, showcasing the M&S Spring Style collection follows Gillian on her first day in her new role, as she takes it upon herself to dish out compliments and bring ‘Love That’ energy to life. It works so well because it feels so real and authentic to the brand. I hope one day to don an outfit worthy of a ‘Love That’ from Gillian.
Prost8 – Dodge the Finger
Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
We’ve seen a lot of, pardon the pun, cheeky work recently trying to tackle men’s misconceptions around prostate cancer testing. Namely that it involves enduring a doctor’s latex-clad finger up the proverbial. These days, a simple blood test is all that’s needed. This awareness-raising campaign from TBWA\MCR is particularly playful, using interactive DOOH tech to encourage passers-by to take on their 8-bit video game Dodge the Finger. Levity is key here too; it’s all about raising awareness without, well, scaring men shitless.
It’s also a very smart bit of advertising for Ocean Outdoor. They crowned this idea in their annual l Digital Creative Competition and helped bring it to life. The first round of players got involved earlier this months at The Printworks in Manchester - but if you think you’ve got the moves, head down to Westfield Stratford City on March 20th to have a go.
(And for another recent example of prostate cancer advertising that we rather liked, check out this Super Bowl spot from Novartis.)
For The Greater Hood – Empty Hangers
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, managing editor
New York is one of the undisputed global fashion capitals. The locals are stylish and the city's fashion week is one of the main drivers of trends. The abundance of stylish glitz and glamour obscures an issue facing many NY residents: clothing insecurity. Six+One and its non-profit arm, For The Greater Hood (FTGH) made this issue impossible to ignore with an installation of 17,000 empty hangers distributed in some of the most fashionable areas during New York Fashion Week.
Visually striking, the installation looked like a piece of performance art but it was linked to a good cause. Every hanger was adorned with a QR code linking to a personal story and a frictionless donation flow, with clear giving tiers to help provide warm, reliable clothing. The takeover was boosted further with the help of local creators across different neighbourhoods who documented the rollout, reactions, and donations throughout the week. It's an elegant idea executed with scale and there's purpose underpinning it all; with it, Six+One and FTGH make a worthy statement that clothes should be accessible to all.
Somos Martina – The Period Uniform
Chosen by Zara Naseer, writer, editorial strategy
Tackling sustainability, shame, and women’s health all in one campaign is an impressive feat, which Colombian menstruation-care brand, Somos Martina and Serviceplan Innovate have achieved together. ‘The Period Uniform’ makes absorbent period underwear part of existing mandatory school uniforms, normalising sanitary care, reducing the sometimes awkward need to ask for help, and offering a long-term, multi-use solution – one pair can last up to three years. It’s a systemic solution that’s both better for the planet and far cheaper over time. The campaign is accompanied by a short film directed by Claudia Barral, as well as a dedicated website featuring editorial by New York Times journalist Maria F. Fitzgerald.
adidas – 120 Years of The Crunch
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
The Six Nations reaches its climax this weekend, with France, Scotland and Ireland all in with a chance of raising the championship trophy on Saturday night. The French host England in what looks to be the defining fixture of the tournament, a historic matchup known as 'Le Crunch' that dates back to 1906.
To mark the occasion, adidas and the French Rugby Federation have unveiled a 120th-anniversary collection, which takes centre stage in a stylish flagship film from creative agency GEMS and production company BIRTH. It stars a slew of current rugby stars, as well as cameos from French footballing royalty Hugo Ekitike and Djibril Cisse, as they prepare to host their cross-channel frenemies.
Set at what appears to be a provincial rugby club, the cast meticulously prune the pitch, set the tricolour table, and grill frog legs (with a little help from the Bard). It culminates in the club house, and, when the jukebox kicks in, the sound design masterfully increases the anticipation for the crunch match. It's a lovely couple of minutes that fuses heritage and modernity with real panache.
Figma – Australia and New Zealand Bureau of Nicknames (ANZBON)
Chosen by Brittney Rigby, managing editor, AUNZ
There's nothing I appreciate more than a commitment to the bit. And in this very Australian campaign -- set in a Centrelink-esque waiting room -- Hellions and Figma well and truly commit to the bit.
The film made me laugh out loud; the fluoro-wearing tradie who loves being crowned 'The Human Highlighter' and "heritage-listed" nickname Karen were standout moments. But the cherry on top is a retro nickname application website. (I'm Waffle -- which I guess I do quite a bit of.) It's set on a crackly, old TV screen featuring three dials, one of which lets you change the 'channel' between a series of stills -- playing around with it felt like being back in the school computer lab, and I loved every minute.
Hellions has put care into something that's funny, silly, and ultimately entertaining -- and I reckon we need more funny, silly, entertaining work.
Australia Post – 2,655 Postcodes
Chosen by Tom Loudon, AUNZ reporter
A postcode is a simple, administrative tool -- four numbers in a box designed to sort mail efficiently. But in the decades since Australia Post introduced the system in 1967, those digits have taken on a deeper cultural resonance, signifying belonging and a sense of place.
Now, Australia Post has launched its largest-ever brand campaign celebrating every single one.
Developed by Droga5 ANZ, the campaign recognises the cultural significance of all 2,655 postcodes by using the iconic visual every Australian recognises from the front of an envelope: four white boxes, rendered as a recurring sculptural device -- distinctively AusPost -- across hundreds of individual executions.
Rather than a single, unified message, the work fragments into countless local stories, each capturing authentic moments of life in communities -- from remote outback towns to dense urban suburbs: reflecting the nation back to itself, postcode by postcode.
Photoplay director and photographer Sarah Adamson helmed the hero films, working alongside photographer Cory White, who travelled extensively to document everyday moments in local neighbourhoods -- deliberately avoiding tourist-brochure Australia in favour of real places locals inhabit: sport clubs, corner stores, and streets.
Getting under the skin of local communities in an era of increasing digital abstraction feels powerful, tangible, and local. It also reminds Australians of the scale of AusPost’s work, and the posties hitting the pavement to deliver our packages and letters, bills and cards, every day, across every postcode: all 2,655 of them.
