Work of the Week: 16/01/26
Metier – Parlez-Vous Métier?
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Reporter, Asia
Trying to locate what I need from the depths of my handbag is a constant struggle. Especially when I have a screaming toddler in tow and retrieving a snack becomes a matter of urgency for my eardrums. So this trio of shorts for intelligently designed bags by Métier really hooked me in.
The films, shot by JB Braud and produced by Henry, offer a snapshot of everyday moments – with and without a Métier handbag. While others rummage and root around, the Métier offers its proud owner a smooth experience.
With sepia-style grading, rhythmic violin music and no dialogue, the 30-second ads have an elegant and understated feel, reflecting the brand and its beautifully practical products.
Slather – Buy Stuff
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, UK editor
I thought I was passionate about sunscreen (yes, it is currently raining in London and I am wearing SPF50 on my face) but the Aussies take it so much further. It's understandable; Australia is considered the sunniest continent on Earth and has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Last year the agency SICKDOGWOLFMAN launched a sunscreen brand, Slather, and the team is back with a new spot that I refuse to watch twice because I'm still wincing. An anthropomorphised sun violently tears a man's deeply sunburned skin off his back in one of the goriest visuals to enter my eyes in recent memory while a voiceover SHOUTS that the sun is not our friend, and to buy sunscreen. There's no hidden message here – the spot says what it needs to say, fast, and sears the images into your brain in one violent swoop. Ouch.
Almond Breeze – Jonas Brothers
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
I’m sure this ad cuts a little too close to the bone for some creatives out there, but McKinney’s latest for Blue Diamond Growers’ Almond Breeze stands out for a few reasons. Firstly, when was the last time you stuck around for a three-minute milk ad? The Jonas Brothers play perfect foils to the spot’s fictional marketing team, and there’s just something so funny – and sadly familiar – about the fake AI ads being pitched.
It is a little cute with the melodramatic lampooning of the creative marketing process, and the meta ad-within-an-ad thing; visions of the fake ‘Marty Supreme’ marketing Zoom call. But there’s enough humour backing the fairly scrupulous takedown of low-effort generative AI campaigns to prompt a smirk from even the most optimistic adland technologist.
New York Lottery – Multiply Your Benjamins
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
In our Work of the Week editorial meetings, we’re never quite satisfied until we’ve made sure there’s a silly, fun, 30-second ad in the mix. And this week the relief was palpable when New York Lottery’s ‘Multiply Your Benjamins’ came up for discussion. It’s a simple gag, taking a colourful bit of slang – the nickname for a $100 dollar bill – and visualising it to absurdist extremes.
I’m getting dangerously close to over-explaining the joke here, but the image of dozens of Benjamin Franklins bouncing happily on trampolines is exactly the sort of silliness we need in January 2026. Huge props for McCann New York and director Jess Coulter for pushing the comedy to its full potential.
HEINZ – HEINZ Dipper
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
Given Rethink’s outstanding creative track record with HEINZ, at this point, I’m rarely surprised when I see an innovative piece of content generated by that partnership. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t joy to be found in seeing what the two cook up – something aptly demonstrated by this clever piece of design work.
Let’s face it, for every french fry lover who enjoys ketchup – or really any dip – there’s come a moment where best practices have been sacrificed for the sake of convenience. Sure, if you’re at a restaurant that doesn’t offer little dipping cups, you can spurt some ketchup onto a plate, or even the wrapping paper of the burger you ate beforehand, but what do you do when that’s not available? Pour your ketchup directly onto the fries themselves and make them soggy, whilst simultaneously getting your fingers dirty in the eating process? I don’t trust anyone who says this is their preferred method!
With that in mind, the decision to build little dip-holding pockets directly into the containers is absolutely brilliant. Simple, effective, and a nice quality of life fix at no additional cost for the fry eaters. It’s one of those things that makes you think, ‘I can’t believe nobody else thought of this before’, so kudos to Rethink for claiming it, and simultaneously reinforcing HEINZ’s association as the dip of choice for fries!
Tesco – For The Love Of It
Chosen by Cathy Meyer-Funnell, EMEA reporter
Tesco’s ‘For the love of it’ campaign by BBH pays homage to some of the most beloved brands in this country in a way that makes me feel all warm and cosy about being British, a pretty rare occurrence these days. The film incorporates slogans from the likes of Heinz, Weetabix, L’Oréal and Marmite to assure Tesco’s customers that they will always find their favourite products in store at a reasonable price. A highlight has to be one shopper being transported back to a surreal yet nostalgic version of his childhood breakfast watching on in awe as a relative casually hoovers with one hand and lifts an armchair with the other. Naturally, she’s had her Weetabix. My personal favourite however as a baked bean devotee is the knowing exchange between two older shoppers over Heinz, in my opinion the clearly superior choice
SKITTLES – Deliver the Rainbow
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
SKITTLES are no strangers to Super Bowl stunts and this year, aided by an impish Elijah Wood, they're planning on pushing a live, in-person activation to just one person on game day. It bears a striking parallel to 2018's Immortal Award-winning 'Exclusive the Rainbow', which was shown to only one person - superfan Marcos Menendez. Except this time, SKITTLES will team up with delivery service Gopuff to deliver Wood (who may or may not be in mythical attire) to someone's front door for a live performance. It's ultimately an ad campaign - created by Omnicon's Team OMC - for an ad that will shun a game day broadcast in favour of a physical experience for just one person. We’re getting Napoleon Dynamite vibes which must be a good thing, right?
British Heart Foundation – In Living Memory
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
This campaign caught my eye on LinkedIn this morning – its simplicity and poignancy go hand in hand. Memorial benches, which are typically positioned to commemorate a person who has died, have been transformed into benches ‘In Living Memory’, recognising survivors of cardiovascular illness up and down the UK.
Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the campaign centres around 65 benches painted in British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) signature red, each bearing the name of a person who is alive today thanks to treatments or scientific advances funded by BHF. The integrated campaign coincides with the charity’s 65th anniversary, sending a powerful message of hope and a reminder to sit down, reflect and celebrate stories of survival.
Austrian Tourism – NON DISCLOSURE AUSTRIA (NDA)E
Chosen by Tará McKerr, Americas reporter
This campaign from Wien Nord Serviceplan for Austrian Tourism really grabbed my this week. Setting out to tackle the darker side of tourism, it asks visitors to sign an NDA prior to visiting, agreeing they won’t talk about where they’ve been. It’s a response to unbalanced tourism which often results in overcrowding of ‘hot spots’. The idea feels brave, delivering a strong message, while leaning on humour so as to avoid alienating potential holiday-goers. A good-natured move, aimed at ensuring tourism will be sustainable for many years to come.
Tums – Burn Ball
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
Super Bowl Sunday is the Thanksgiving of the sporting world – an excuse for utter excess, where wings, dips and many delicious crispy things all kick off around the same time as the ball game. As someone rapidly approaching 35, my body does not celebrate this tradition with the same enthusiasm as my juvenile brain. TUMS and Dentsu Creative are targeting this problem with the Burn Ball – a custom football designed to crack open and dispense heartburn relief mid-game. Do I truly think people will be throwing this around mid-game? Do I truly think people will be throwing this around during play? Probably not. But it’s a smart and silly way for a medical brand to insert itself into the Big Game conversation, and I’m here for it.
