Work of the Week: 26/09/25
OREO - Playful Pavement
Chosen by Aysun Bora, Germany reporter
I enjoy the simplicity of this out-of-home project for OREO. VML took the reality of a pedestrian crossing and put a playful cookie twist on it. It engages the audience and makes people double-take while walking. The best part is that the campaign solely relies on OREO cookies' iconic shape and recognisable pattern, and brand. For me, this one just works.
Gucci - The Tiger
Chosen by Laura Swinton, editor-in-chief
Watching the new half hour Gucci film all the way though? I’ll be honest, I did not see that for me. Self-indulgent, painfully arch high fashion ‘art’ tries my patience. But I did, I watched it all… and loved it! The camp! The craft! The cast!
Demi Moore stars as the fictional Barbara Gucci, troubled matriarch and ‘owner’ of California, plagued by self doubt and troubled dreams. She’s mother to Ed Norton (Moore is 62 and Norton is 56 - ok she’s his step mother but still, this is the level of silliness we’re dealing with here), Elliot Page doing a twitchy Roman Roy impression and a beleaguered Kiki Palmer. Between Alia Shawkat as the new girlfriend and Ed Norton’s Buster Bluth-inspired perpetual student it really is ‘Arrested Development, but make it fashion’. A spiked round of champagne propels the family and their journalist guest (Ed Harris) towards psychedelic, psychic collapse.
There’s a moment of sound design genius when Ed Norton interacts with a doppelganger who communicates in the language of radio static and… it’s compelling in a way that I can’t understand.
Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn co-direct the film which is also a significant statement from the fashion house’s new creative director, Demna. The film launches the new season’s collection, in lieu of a catwalk show, and was screened at Milan Fashion Week.
KPN - Everyone Except
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
With children across the Netherlands recently returning to school for the start of a new year, Dutch telco KPN has teamed up with Dentsu Creative Amsterdam and a range of other partners to launch 'Everyone Except' – a new campaign that’s centred on online exclusion for young people. It's a follow up to the hugely successful 'A Piece of Me' campaign, which focussed on online shaming, and is built around the insight that 23% of youngsters are excluded online at least once a month (according to new research by online abuse charity, Helpwanted).
The short film, produced by Dark Alley Pictures, is soundtracked by Dutch singer/songwriter S10 and follows the story of a teenage boy swept along and then ostracised by his group of 'friends'. The uplifting ending, in which the group disintegrates and supports the protagonist, delivers KPN's message – stand up for each other, both online and off. It's nice to see KPN continuing to build upon the brand platform that it's constructed over the last few years: utilising local artists, creating original soundtracks, and telling difficult stories in an attempt to improve the digital lives of today’s youth.
Claude - Keep Thinking
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
I’m in favour of Anthropic’s ‘Keep Thinking’ for one simple reason: it purports to protect the bit that matters – our human thinking power. The line rejects AI-as-shortcut hype and reframes Claude as a partner for tougher, slower, more deliberate work. That’s the creative stance the world needs right now. And I say this as someone who uses AI to help me write all the time. Mother’s platform lands a welcome corrective to the current “move fast” narrative. If AI is going to be useful to makers and marketers, it should expand our capacity to think, not replace it. ‘Keep thinking’ says exactly that.
The human bringing this AI-funded piece of filmmaking to the screen is Daniel Wolfe. And as we agreed in our editorial Work of the Week meeting, he pretty much never misses. The film feels confidently restrained: no tech dazzle for its own sake, just considered craft that turns criticisms of gen AI into an invitation. You can feel the pause before action, the space where thought happens. That gives the idea moral weight and creative credibility.
Volkswagen Australia - Why the Long Car?
Chosen by Zara Naseer, EMEA reporter
While the rest of the world races to be the most future-facing of them all, Volkswagen Australia and DDB Sydney are offering respite from the modern cacophony with an homage to the past. Specifically, to the brand’s 1960s print ads.
Icons like ‘Lemon’, which featured a simple image above detailed columns of copy, have been cleverly reinterpreted in motion. The opening shot mirrors the composition exactly, but a new element is added when the camera pans round to reveal the full length of the car, a sausage dog alongside as a charming comparison.
It’s an elegant update on a classic that I imagine car and advertising fans alike will appreciate. Plus, it’s the first in a series – so stay on the lookout for more.
Apple – The Ultimate Pro
Chosen by Zhenya Tsenzharyk, UK editor
When I saw that Apple released another iteration of its 'Shot on iPhone' films I thought, surely the brand has run out of ideas now. Well, I was proven wrong and in serious style too. We know that films can be shot on iPhone and many have been like Sean Baker's 'Tangerine', where the medium added to the frantic, personable narrative.
For the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple and Park Pictures offer us, the viewers, something that does feel new: filmmakers in the frame, with direction from Seb Edwards and a classic soundtrack courtesy of 'Come Rain or Come Shine' by Connie Francis. Epic and cinematic in scope – what we've come to expect – it breaks the so-called fourth wall to show us how the magic is made and the people who make it happen. It's an impressive showcase of the iPhone’s new tech but, to me, it's really an ad about what can be achieved when a powerful tool is in the hands of makers with a vision.
Instacart - Sunday Scaries
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Created in-house and directed by Reset’s Jessica Lee Gagné, these films certainly prey on my weakness for practical effects. We’ve all gotten the ‘Sunday Scaries’ before, and the little personified chores that ruin the final moments of freedom for these characters are painfully relatable and (in the case of the mouldy sandwich) kind of adorable? Instacart positions itself as a useful emergency tool for when your Sunday starts to spiral out of control, and does so with a light sense of humour and fun puppetry from ‘The Mandalorian’ experts Legacy Effects.
FIGS - Where Do You Wear FIGS
Chosen by Addison Capper, managing editor, Americas
Scrubs are usually thought of as a purely functional barrier — built to withstand all manner of bodily fluids and long shifts. But this new ad for FIGS scrubs deftly reimagines them as a global symbol of a shared profession. Produced by NativeFour, the beautifully shot film travels through Tokyo, London, Mexico City and Los Angeles, and captured healthcare workers in their own working environments. The resulting film is a reminder that even the most functional of products can be reframed with good craft and emotion.
Pepsi - The Recycling Rethink
Chosen by April Summers, North America features lead
Pepsi has teamed up with Special Australia and TOMRA to dramatically up the stakes of container recycling in New South Wales. ‘The Recycling Rethink’ is an initiative that will run from now until 22 November 2025, and will reward those who recycle a Pepsi can or bottle through a Return and Earn reverse vending machine. Ranging from the standard 10c refund all the way up to $50,000 via a unique QR-coded voucher, the incentive hopes to gamify recycling, transforming a dull transaction into a moment of excitement.
Backed by OOH, social, online video and messaging directly through Return and Earn’s network, the campaign hopes to prove that sustainability can be as responsible as it is rewarding. For PepsiCo, it’s a really smart move. Not only does it boost both recycling rates and brand preference, but it also has the potential to prove that well-researched incentive design can nudge behaviour while earning cultural attention.
