2022 was an introspective year for MJZ. The common theme of its work was community and enjoying life’s precious moments after multiple years of COVID disruptions.

A prime example is Nicolai Fuglsig’s work for sports betting brand Ladbrokes. The spot, made with agency Neverland, reimagined the iconic training scene from “Rocky.” The once-solitary athlete jogging through the streets of Philadelphia now finds a whole community following behind him, seamlessly inserted for the ad. A bride, guitarist, equestrian, drag queen and basketball player are among the diverse cast getting in on the triumphant moment when the character ascends the steps to his finish line, now featuring the cheers and celebration of a massive crowd and the message, “We Play Together.”

Another example was Pringles’ 2022 Super Bowl spot, directed by Tom Kuntz with agency Grey New York. The ad took a comedic spin on the theme, showing a man’s life with his hand stuck in a Pringles can. 

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The can is there on his first dates and at his wedding, the conception and birth of his child—all the way to his open-casket funeral. The hilarious and strangely touching ad scored five stars in Ad Age’s Super Bowl ad review, which declared it “a delightful tour de force with serious Ad Meter-busting chops.” It also ranked on Ad Age’s list of best ads of the year.

One take on community from MJZ was far less typical. Also directed by Kuntz, for refurbished device seller Back Market, the spot documented the power of unity found by a legion of cats seemingly distressed by the very existence of electronics. 

It begins with somewhat typical feline shenanigans—a scratch on a laptop screen or a phone ending up in the litter box. That quickly devolves into all-out anarchy as the furry frenemies latch onto smart watches and cause massive roadway pileups, eventually leading to a mountainous pile of cats outside Back Market headquarters.

The reasoning is somewhat unclear (although cats have never been known as efficient communicators), but the result is a hilarious horror film that one can only dream will someday be made into a feature.

MJZ's penchant for joy is also present in its work for Apple AirPods. Directed by Juan Cabral through agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the “Share the Joy” spot featured a thrilling dance sequence paired with gorgeous visual effects. As a duo of performers spin and leap through a city, items they interact with collapse into piles of snow, contrasting the sunny setting.

The choreography is stunningly fluid and paired beautifully with the slow-mo explosions of snow while also finding charming moments of stillness, as when the dancing pair detonate a puppy into a pile of ice only for it to cheerfully pop out of the powder seconds later.

See all the winners of Ad Age's 2023 A-List Awards here.