Since the COVID-19 pandemic, brands have leaned heavily into purpose-driven campaigns to connect with stakeholders and consumers. Mike Sutherland and Ant Nelson, executive creative directors at adam&eveDDB, spent 2022 embodying that mandate.

Their top campaigns for the year focused on creating change in the world. “The Last Photo” campaign for CALM and ITV—winner of 2023 Creativity Awards for Idea of the Year, Best Work for Good: Brand and Print/Design/Out-of-Home Work of the Year—showed the true face of suicide. A four-meter high sculpture for Crisis drew attention to homelessness in the U.K. And they tackled sustainability for Coors Light through the “Chillboards” campaign, which painted roofs in Florida white to reduce housing temperatures and save on cooling costs.

In 2022, adam&eveDDB’s creative department also designed more Christmas stories than any other agency globally. Of note was its final campaign for John Lewis before parting ways with the client in 2023. “The Beginner” highlighted children who spent the holidays in foster care through a foster dad’s good-natured attempt at skateboarding to connect with his new foster daughter. 

The duo also believes in making space for others in the creative community. They created First Bite, the agency’s paid placement scheme, to create opportunities for those who face barriers entering the industry and to ensure fair recruitment and equal employment. Nelson and Sutherland also supported Fresh Takes and She Takes Over, adam&eveDDB’s initiatives to support underrepresented production talent.

See all the 2023 Ad Age Creativity Awards winners.