My Most Immortal Ad: Lora Schulson on CANAL+'s The Bear

In the run up to this year’s Immortal Awards deadline, jurors are selecting the campaigns that, in their minds, have stood the test of time: their 'Most Immortal Ad'.

After not being able to decide between her top two, today Lora Schulson, global chief production officer at 72andSunny, gives Little Black Book her next immortal ad which celebrates obsession, the pursuit of perfection, and the work behind great storytelling.

The entry system for The Immortal Awards 2026 is now open. As always, entry is free for Little Black Book members and more information on how you can enter - and start your path to creative immortality - can be found here.

CANAL+ - The Bear

Coming up with an original idea for an entertainment platform - that has got to be a hard brief. The creative possibilities are endless. And you're not constrained by product demos or feature messaging. You simply have to make something people genuinely want to watch.

Canal+ understood the assignment: the advertising has to be proof of good taste. It can't just promote great storytelling - it has to be great storytelling. That's an incredibly high bar, and The Bear nails it.

A bearskin rug watches so much Canal+ that he becomes a cliché film director. It's a simple idea with a surprising twist. Every creative decision - from the performances and production design to the visual effects and pacing—works in service of the story, making the impossible feel completely believable. And the story is so engaging that the craft becomes invisible. You stop noticing how perfectly it's made and simply lose yourself in the story.

The advertising industry lost their minds over this spot because it felt so familiar (creative people throwing fits... ???). But it's also a love letter to filmmaking and creative craft itself. It celebrates obsession, the pursuit of perfection, and the work behind great storytelling. You don't have to be in advertising to appreciate that - you just have to love movies. This ad really spoke to a much bigger audience than advertising - movie lovers. And that’s pretty universal.

More than a decade later, it still hits. It entertains, rewards repeat viewing, and leaves you believing that if this is the kind of story Canal+ tells in its advertising, imagine the stories it curates on its platform. Building brand love and making an ad that becomes immortal.

The Immortal Awards entry system is now open and entries into competition will be accepted until September 4th 2026. All entries must be made for a commissioning client, and must have first aired, broadcast, displayed, launched or published between September 2025 and 31st August 2026.

Any LBB member can enter work into The Immortal Awards. Standard and Premium members are entitled to a maximum of five entries, whilst Basic members are entitled to two.

If you’d like to enter The Immortal Awards but you’re not yet a member of LBB, sign up heretoday.

If you have any questions about The Immortal Awards or need any help with your entries, please contact us at immortals@lbbonline.com