This week: How Spidey's universe landed in New York City, a retro bonanza, how one airline ditched a huge tradition, a truck ad like no other and more.

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5. Ford: Night Swim
Agency: AMV BBDO

This gorgeous, ethereal ad pulls straight out of the playbook of fashion and beauty marketers, depicting a group of young beautiful people frolicking in the water in the late hours for a night swim. But it turned out to be something from an out-of-nowhere category—automotive. The swimmers were illuminated by the lights of Ford’s Ranger pickup trucks, and the point of the ad, by AMV BBDO, was to highlight one of the vehicle’s key features: its 800 mm wading depth.

4. Volkswagen: “Electric Wrapped”
Agency: Type 1/Taxi

At the end of each year, music streaming platform Spotify draws plenty of attention for its annual “Wrapped” campaign, which combines data and tech to help users look back on their year of listening. Knowing this, Volkswagen in Canada planned for a full year to create its own version of the annual music look back. At the beginning of 2021, the auto brand started to add electric-themed tunes to its playlist, including MGMT's "Electric Feel,” ​​Drake’s “Charged Up,” Katy Perry’s “Electric” and AC/DC’s “High Voltage." Ultimately, that led to its own version of “Wrapped” designed to highlight the automaker’s focus on electric vehicles. 

3. Liberty Mutual: The Daily Bugle in New York City
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners

To herald the arrival of the new Spider-Man film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Liberty Mutual brought a bit of Spidey’s universe to real-world New York City. With agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the insurer erected in Manhattan a newsstand hawking The Daily Bugle, the fictional newspaper in the Marvel comic. The outlet distributed 3,000 limited-edition versions of the publication, with stories tied to the film but also featuring Liberty Mutual ads depicting how the insurance brand is here to protect you from world-destroying villains.

2. Helsinki Airport: My Helsinki Airport
Agency: TBWA\Helsinki

In this totally modern approach to branding, Finland’s airport operator Finavia Corporation tapped TBWA\Helsinki on this real-time outdoor campaign for Helsinki Airport. Eschewing the longstanding tradition of naming airports after famous individuals (such as John F. Kennedy in New York City and Charles de Gaulle in Paris), the campaign allows everyday passengers to put their name on the marquee of the airport’s newly built main terminal, simply by inputting them on the MyHelsinki Airport website.  Within a few minutes, they can then take a selfie by the sign and share on social with the hashtag "#myhelsinkiairport." While also paying homage to travelers, the campaign also aims to help position the airport as Northern Europe’s main transfer hub. 

1. “Live in Front of a Studio Audience”: ‘80s throwback ads
Agency: Maximum Effort

Last week, during Jimmy Kimmel’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience”—his special that brings back classic TV sitcoms with modern-day talents—the show partnered with Ryan Reynolds’ agency Maximum Effort and advertisers including Kraft Heinz, Jack in the Box and Reynolds’ liquor brand, Aviation Gin, to create ‘80s-themed ads that fit right in with the nostalgia of the show.

Starring acting talents of the era Alfonso Ribeiro (“Silver Spoons”) and Jennifer Beals (“Flashdance”), the spots hark back to famous retro moments such as Brooke Shields’ classic Calvin Klein ad, the “Your Brain on Drugs” PSA and Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America,” but instead plug brands such as Kraft Singles, Oscar Mayer and Aviation Gin.

For more great ideas, bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day at Adage.com/Creativity. 

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