Work of the Week: 24/04/26
Los Angeles Rams – Thursday
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
The Rams returned to Los Angeles 10 years ago, and since then they’ve worked to prove that they’re the NFL team to support in the city. So, ahead of the NFL Draft this year – after partnering with TBWA’s design agency, Design by Disruption, to update its branding – the Rams teamed up with creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA to launch a Draft Day campaign that takes inspiration from the redesign, as well as one of LA’s most beloved films, ‘Friday’.
Produced by the Rams and MGX Creative, ‘Thursday’ reimagines the cult-classic with O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Destin Tucker, sons of ‘Friday’ stars Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, stepping into their dads’ iconic lead roles over 30 years on. They are joined by an all-star supporting cast including actor Terry Crews, rapper YG, LA radio legend Big Boy, and Rams stars Kevin Dotson, Jared Verse, and Byron Young.
The film has enough humour and cinematic polish to honour the original, but it's the care that the creative team took in making the film authentic to Angelenos which makes it shine. LA’s South Central area is home to the Rams’ SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and the film-famous ‘Friday’ house in West Athens, offering a level of interconnectedness that’s nicely supported by the campaign’s city-wide murals and brand activations in collaboration with local artists.
It comes off as a heartfelt love letter to not just a football team, but the fans in and around the stadium that have made the franchise a special part of the city over the last decade – all while building excitement for the Draft.
Musée de la Grande Guerre – Le Poilu Victorieux
Chosen by Cathy Meyer-Funnell, EMEA reporter
World War One came to an end well over 100 years ago yet its horrors still have the power to shock and terrify, especially in a world where the threat of another global conflict creeps ever closer. The campaign for Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays (Museum of the Great War) by BBDO Paris questions the statue of the Victorious Soldier, positioned on war memorials across France, and whether his open mouth and wide eyes symbolise a rallying victory cry or an expression of fear and dread. The film is interspersed with archive footage of the devastation wrought during the War and its aftermath, with millions of soldiers returning home unable to recover from the psychological wounds caused by their experiences on the battlefield. The music, Volker Bertelmann's 'Remains', adds another layer of tension to make this ad horrifically effective. The final line, ‘Never forget for those who never could forget’ twists the long-held glorification of the wartime spirit to make us think twice, just like a good museum exhibition should.
Burger King – Whopper of a Finish
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
If you've ever found yourself in the depths of a hellish long run, finding the mental fortitude to continue can be as challenging as the physical test. In these moments I find that my mind turns to my reward for finishing: what delicious, filthy food can I devour when (or if) I reach my goal?
With marathon season well underway, Burger King is hijacking the UK's racing scene to place the Whopper right at the heart of this Sunday's London marathon (and into the minds and hopefully the stomachs of those running it). The post-run treat will be in the thoughts of many of those taking part so Burger King is doing its bit to make sure it's a burger that the finishers get their hands on.
The brand is taking over hundreds of out of home sites that runners will pass. They feature shots of real marathon completers tucking into a post-race patty, captured by documentary photographer Sophie Green. The branding is suitably pared back, with relatively discrete logo placement and smart use of the stylish font, letting the burger take centre stage. The best out-of-home is simple and immediately understandable. And this is exactly that, bravo BBH London.
Publix – Best Friends
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
Dogs and mailmen have a rivalry that spans generations. From ripping envelopes out of letterboxes to attacking ankles, man’s best friend hasn’t always been a mailman’s best friend. However, this spot from FIG for Publix flips the script. Featuring a gaggle of neighbourhood dogs clamouring to make amends with their beloved mailman, the canines come to life in handmade puppet form, steered superbly by director Mark Molloy through Smuggler, who also helmed Apple’s puppet-led festive spot, ‘A Critter Carol’.
Featuring a number of different breeds with their own unique personalities, including a particularly anxious cone-of-shame-wearing dog, the film sees the pups come together to bake a pie good enough to convince their mailman to stay. Shot on location with handmade puppets and no AI, the campaign reflects the brand’s own commitment to high quality. Despite some kitchen chaos and a mocking cat (because some rivalries never die), the spot ends in success, reinforcing the importance of food as a universal love language.
O Boticário – Departures
Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
This Mother’s Day film for Brazilian beauty and perfume brand zeroes in on one of the most bittersweet truths of parenthood and captures it in a poignant metaphor. The ruthless passage of time means that watching a child grow is a series of departures and arrivals; the beauty of the special moments parent and child share is that they don’t last forever and can never be re-captured. And in this film, a mother at a train station says farewell to different versions of her son as he grows. It’s a delicately told story from AlmapBBDO and director Kid Burro.
Vivobarefoot – Unknow Yourself
Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
Without, err, giving too much away, one of my biggest filmmic bugbears is depictions of psychedelic experiences that are nothing like actual psychedelic experiences. You know, cliché sitar twangs, lots of '60s imagery. This campaign for Vivobarefoot, a shoe that purports to connect you to nature by enabling you to feel the earth underfoot, doesn’t have that issue. With the gently pulsating surroundings and the spirals of hyperfocus on seemingly irrelevant details of nature… it seems about right? The campaign of five films and a series of social stills seems to suggest that while mushrooms on a bucolic day might melt away the barriers between the self and nature, well, these barefoot shoes can help you feel just as deeply at one with nature and the infinite. It’s certainly not a strategy I’ve seen before, and I’m not surprised to see that it comes from Thingy & Thingy, a shop that calls itself the ‘anti-advertising agency’. Fun.
Article 19 – Bullet Machine
Chosen by Tara McKerr, Americas reporter
This is a brutal watch, compounded by the sound design. The human rights organisation has partnered with Grey Mexico to stress the serious threat faced by journalists and their families. In the short film directed by Andrea Pele and Francisco Paparella, we witness the palpable distress of a mother who wakes to gunfire. We discover her husband, an investigative journalist, is writing under the cover of nightfall, with each tap of the keyboard correlating with another round of gunfire.
Working as a commentary on the dangers of pursuing truth, the spot preempts World Press Freedom Day, noting that 176 journalists have been killed in Mexico since the year 2000. Thirty one remain missing. And the danger is only increasing – with the organisation recording 639 attacks against the press in 2024 alone. While not an easy watch, it may be a necessary one. And as far as effectiveness goes, let goosebumps be the indicator.
Casper – Daymares
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
The horrors of everyday life are no match for the comfort of a Casper mattress. Across three spots, Orchard's debut work for the sleep brand demonstrates all-too familiar anxieties - an excruciating birthday singalong, a suffocating elevator ride, and a glitch-ridden video call – all shot like mini horror films with Biscuit director Jeff Low lending a seasoned comedic hand. The horror element is ridiculous enough to make the work entertaining, while the scenarios remain relatable enough to give the whole thing a pleasing sense of truth. NB: Only one spot is embedded above, but all three are worth watching.
Beaumier – Unfiltered Moments
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, managing editor, editorial strategy
Who said that you should immediately know what’s being advertised when watching a spot? Sometimes what it makes you feel is enough and – sitting in a windowless room – I really wanted to be whisked away to any and all of the aesthetically-depicted locales from Beaumier Hotels. NM Productions’ directors Venkay take us on a journey across Provence, the Côte d’Azur, the French Alps, Ibiza, and the Jungfrau region in Switzerland, in moments that look borrowed from family holidays’ VHS tapes, with the film’s grain rendering each like a memory. It’s beautiful and it works perfectly to communicate what kind of experiences Beaumier Hotels can deliver.
Vaseline – Love Hurts
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
I like this campaign for a number of reasons. For a start, it’s beautifully shot by Park Pictures’ BAFTA-winning filmmaker Savanah Leaf, and the quality of craft is evident. And then of course, there’s the song selection – really hard to go wrong with Nazareth’s titular rock ballad. But, for me, the very best part isn’t necessarily the stylised montage of Vaseline being applied to the faces of assorted children – though it’s very cute – but rather, the final, authentic sequences in which you see just what this ritual means in so many families. It made me smile, it absolutely pulled some heartstrings, and it’s easily enough to make me offer kudos to the team at Ogilvy Singapore.
McDonalds – McMullet
Chosen by Olivia Atkins, UK Craft Editor
It’s silly but I can’t stop looking at it. This McDonald's campaign from McCann New Zealand just strikes the right balance. I love how seriously unserious it is. It leans all the way in to create a campaign that's right for the Kiwi market, reimagining a classic cheeseburger as a mullet, celebrating and embracing the nation's favourite hairstyle. Who knew you could have so much fun with styling up a burger and actually make 'business in the front, party in the back' work on a bun? Genius.
Gippsland Dairy – Let the World Wait
Chosen by Lilya Murray, AUNZ reporter
Special Australia adopted an innovative approach to Gippsland Dairy’s yoghurt, developed with Good Oil, by emulating a beer ad in the brand’s latest campaign for its ‘Let The World Wait’ Platform.
Beer and yoghurt are far from similar, but Special has proved that in advertising, not so much. Director Adam Gunser told LBB he wanted the ad to have a “punk rock attitude”, which was primarily achieved with the soundtrack of Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking the Law’.
A cute, unsuspecting sheep-dog cements the appeal of the spot, as it sits loyally next to its oblivious owner, who has lost his flock of sheep.
The ridiculousness of sheep flooding a small town’s centre and infiltrating the local pub firmly places the spot in a cheeky, comedic style – a departure from the conventions of yoghurt advertising.
The spots aren’t overly dramatic, but eye-catching and funny enough to stay with you, and encourage someone to pick up a tub of Gippsland Dairy yoghurt.
