Work of the Week: 12/12/25
Dr. Oetker – Christmas
Chosen by Sunna Coleman, Asia reporter
A whimsical, handcrafted stop-motion film brings to life a joyful little gingerbread character in his cosy gingerbread house adorned with candy canes, pretzel chairs, macaron cushions and decorative icing.
Ginger prances about decorating his stacked gingerbread tree, greeting a cute gingerbread robin (who rudely nibbles a bit of Ginger's delicious hand!), and making snow angels among the powdered sugar landscape, when reality hits. He sees the looming face of a joyful child admiring her gingerbread creation. As she lifts Ginger up to get a better look, she takes a satisfied bite, leaving Ginger headless and bringing an abrupt end to his festive adventure.
It's a fantastic and fun Christmas ad entwined with moments of unexpected dark humour. I especially loved it as my toddler does the exact same thing while playing with and eating Pom Bears.
Scotiabank – What Do You Make?
Chosen by Ben Conway, Americas reporter
Rethink’s latest for the Canadian bank is so full of charm and humour, I can forgive the ‘Baba O’Riley’ soundtrack. In fact, on second thought, the music might just be what holds this film together, giving it the uplifting, motivational vibe of a classic feel-good movie.
The spot, directed by OPC’s Nick Ball, perhaps isn’t pushing the boat out, but the fast-paced cuts between a bountiful variety of colourful scenarios helps the comedy land well, and builds a rich world that keeps viewers with even the worst attention spans engaged.
The question of ‘What Do You Make?’ comes from a very real insight into money-obsessed social media content, and flipping the meaning from a purely financial one into a celebration of what ‘makes up’ the rest of your life is simple but effective; a springboard for an upbeat extension of Scotiabank’s platform: ‘You’re richer than you think’.
It feels well-timed around the holidays as well, as many people will be feeling the pinch, and deftly toes the line between melodrama and authenticity – while being beautifully lit and shot by DoP Jody Lee Lipes. Plus, any ad with someone doing the worm at the office Christmas party is a winner in my book.
Red Wing – Made the Hard Way
Chosen by Paul Monan, head of creative excellence
Our industry is in the midst of an AI-driven boom, seeking cost-cutting, time-saving efficiencies to improve productivity and output. But this new work from Wieden+Kennedy New York for Red Wing puts an emphasis in the effort, integrity and pride of slowing things down. Of doing the hard yards. Putting in the graft and caring about the craft. Because the hard way is often the best way.
The global brand campaign features a slew of 15 to 45-second films, some unique out of home activations, and a sealed shoe box - caged in concrete and steel - which promises a fresh pair of boots to those with the trade skills to open it. For me, the highlight is the hypnotic film - shot by Park Pictures’ Leo Aguirre - in which structural welder Eric Reuter (who also lends his voice to monologue the spot) toils away with his sledge hammer as the camera slowly pans down to his boots.
SNICKERS – The SNICKERS Train
Chosen by Abi Lightfoot, Americas reporter
SNICKERS appealed to hungry drivers stuck at one of Australia’s many level crossings by turning its famous ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry' into a moving billboard on rails. With level crossings that can be closed for up to seven hours a day in some instances, the brand and agency T&P Australia chose to capitalise on the captive attention – and hanger – of stationary drivers by delivering a brand experience aboard a freight train. Passing by in a fleeting moment, the work leaves a lasting impact, and has drivers wishing they had a SNICKERS stashed away for moments like these. It’s a playfully unconventional yet impactful use of media placement and out of home that’s designed to meet drivers at exactly the right moment.
Hiscox – Collections
Chosen by Alex Reeves, managing editor, EMEA
Uncommon’s work for insurance brand Hiscox is tucked in my pocket at all times for when I need to provide an example of advertising that builds a brand’s personality and tone of voice. This newest campaign for its home insurance hits the same standards, but in a totally different way for a totally different audience.
While the ‘disastrous’ business campaigns made cheeky, clever jokes, this campaign is artful, luxe. Exquisite copywriting and art direction that intrigues before it explains, each execution here tells a story of the most meaningful objects in people’s lives.
Remember when you used to enjoy a magazine’s advertising as much as the articles? This feels like it’s plucked from that golden era. It’s the sort of advertising that people might frame on their walls (well, maybe if they work for Hiscox or Uncommon, at least).
IKEA – DRÖNJÖNS & DRAGAN
Chosen by Laura Swinton Gupta, editor-in-chief
Here’s a fun activation that rolls a natural 20 and passes the persuasion check. Inspired by the insight that fans of tabletop roleplay games like ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ often turn to the IKEA catalogue to find inspiration for place and character names in their fantasy world, Ogilvy Italy headed to Milan Games Week.
There, they introduced a naming manual for fans, ‘DRÖNJÖNS & DRAGAN – The Swedish Manual of Names That Sound Good’, a collection of pages inspired by the past decade of IKEA catalogues. What’s more, they turned their stand into a snug fantasy-world living room to show how some carefully chosen items can create the perfect gaming atmosphere.
It’s playful and self-aware in a way that’s bang on brand for IKEA, taps into a massive global phenomenon, and has landed just in time for cosy winter nights gaming.
Intermarché – Le Mal Aimé
Chosen by Tara McKerr, Americas reporter
From what I can tell, French supermarket Intermarché has long held the crown for Christmas tear-jerker. Mini-movies with human stories at the centre. This year, the brand has tried something different in collaboration with production companies WIZZ and Divine, alongside agency Romance. And if LBB’s Instagram post about the ad is anything to go by – it’s been a massive success. We could hardly believe our eyes when we noticed the post had garnered over 850k likes and counting.
There’s so much about the ad to admire. The switch from humans to animation, and then to animals, is far from expected, but introduce a vegetarian (French!) wolf, and you’ve gone all-out wacky.
We follow a lonely soul unlucky in friendships, given his instinct to hunt and eat almost everything that surrounds him. After receiving moral counsel from a talking hedgehog, the wolf decides to explore a more plant-based diet. We watch him forage, scratch his head over flavour pairings, and perfect a recipe. As he nervously approaches a forest dinner party, the result might have you swallowing a lump in your throat.
No notes! I’ll be rewatching this one for years to come.
Canadian Addiction Treatment Centres – Blowout Sale
Chosen by Jordan Won Neufeldt, Canada reporter
We’ve all seen campaigns designed to draw attention to the problems that come with addiction. Be it grave PSAs that leave you feeling incredibly bleak, ominous out-of-home ads, or high-craft spots encouraging you to open your wallets, it’s a genre that – at this point – has developed an air of familiarity, often to the detriment of the good results it’s actually trying to achieve.
For this reason, this set of 60-second works from Zulu Alpha Kilo on behalf of Canadian Addiction Treatment Centres is undeniably brilliant. Picture this. You’re in your car, on your way to wherever, listening to the radio, and the ad break comes on. As you normally do, you tune it out, and what sounds like another basic blowout sale promotion – complete with peppy music – is lost to the void… until things suddenly start to feel off. The music is gone, the tone has saddened, and as you focus in, you realise the voice is actually talking about the repercussions of addiction, across the realms of work, family and relationships. What a way to get someone’s attention!
Genuinely, it’s gut-wrenching when you actually listen to any of the ads from top to bottom, especially if you’ve ever known or seen someone in your life impacted in this sort of way. However, the creativity of the approach (shoutout to the decision to frame it like a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion) gives me hope that, at least for some, it’ll cut through and make a genuine difference. Here’s to hoping, and again, to a smart piece of marketing.
Trainline -- The Way to Train
Chosen by Olivia Atkins, EMEA editor
Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and Trainline cleverly turn rail disruption into an emotionally relatable story, showing travellers the value of the brand's AI-powered tools to guide them every step of the way. The campaign is chaotic yet beautifully edited, capturing the real energy of travel while making the brand feel essential for planning. I especially appreciate the choreography, pacing and symmetry within each vignette; it’s a smart and visually compelling way to remind travellers of the usefulness of the service and a memorable way to hard launch its 'The Way To Train' brand refresh.
Glad -- Don't Get Mad. Get Glad
Chosen by April Summers, North America features lead
Heck I'll say it. I genuinely enjoy (and try my hardest not to resist!) when an advertisement gets my toes tapping. There's no harm in it, right? I should just embrace it. And if Jim Henson puppets are involved, I'm even more likely to!
If you told me I'd be tapping said toes to a beat created specifically for the promotion of a garbage bag brand, sure, I'd be quite surprised. But hey, it's Christmas. And like I said, there's a Muppet in the ad!
Broadway-esque in execution, this new spot from FCB Chicago and Furlined marks the official launch of 'Don't Get Mad. Get Glad', a remix of 'I Love Trash', the hit song from everyone's favourite grumpy garbage dweller, Oscar the Grouch. It's directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, comedy directors of Blades of Glory and Office Christmas Party fame, their trademark humour woven throughout.
This time of year, with hosting and parties and presents and decorations, there's a lot more trash in everyone's abode. So it's totally smart to go big on the Christmas timed campaign -- and it's effective. I for one will be humming this tune all the way to the bins.
