Adobe’s commercials are always a visual delight—you couldn’t expect less from the go-to software platform for the creative set. The company’s latest ad, created with 72andSunny and production company Reset, lives up to that legacy to promote the company’s Premiere Pro editing software. Set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” it depicts how a man goes from a night at home into a fantastic voyage through a pulsating metropolis, a botanical wonderland and more.
In this initiative from McCann XBC, Mastercard turns its gift cards into more than just currency—now, they become a reminder of the plight of endangered species. The new “Wildlife Impact” cards feature images of critters whose lives are under threat. The expiration date printed on each card also happens to be the expiry date of those animals—should nothing stop the forces leading to their extinction. For each card purchased, Mastercard will donate $1 to Conservation International. It’s also inviting its customers to support further through its Mastercard Donate platform.
Heinz Ketchup and agency Rethink are jumping on the woes we are bound to face this summer when the world opens up and people begin to embark on road trips. The wide-open streets and highways that were so familiar during COVID will no doubt be replaced by bumper-to-bumper traffic. So, in an unusual Canadian cross-promotion with Waze and Burger King, Heinz is hoping to mitigate some of the attendant frustrations by rewarding those who are forced to travel as slowly as its condiment does. Customers simply have to use the Waze app, which will track the speed of their cars. Once their cars drop to ketchup pace (.045 kilometers, or .027 miles an hour) in the Waze app, they’ll automatically transform into a Heinz Ketchup Bottle, and in their inbox they’ll find a coupon for free ketchup and an Impossible Whopper.
This week, Burger King jumped into the chicken sandwich wars with the debut of the Ch’King, which it promoted in a bizarre new spot from David Miami, featuring a V.O. from actor Paul Giamatti. It stars the brand’s big-headed mascot The King, who seems to be in a really bad place because he sees all the attention that BK’s fried chicken sandwich is getting. “Forget the Whopper,” one customer says. “Has the Whopper finally met its match?!” Giamatti bellows. The King gets swept up into a nightmarish frenzy full of characters clucking “Ch’King!” that will probably give you a bad dream too. In an odd “coincidence,” The Whopper this week also happened to debut its own Twitter account, separate from that of BK, and its first Tweet asked, “What’s all this hoopla about the #ChKing?”
Pepsi isn’t the favored soda brand when it comes to the biggest fast food chains—McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King all serve Coca-Cola. But the brand is leveraging its underdog status in a cheeky push that promotes Pepsi as the better companion to burgers. New ads from VaynerMedia play with the mascots and wrappers of the top fast feeders. One features the bodies of characters who bear a striking resemblance to The King, Ronald McDonald and Wendy, and another seems to feature the crinkled paper wraps of the chains’ sandwiches. Copy on them reads “Better with Pepsi” or “Better with” alongside the Pepsi logo.
That's it for the Top 5. Make sure to check out more of the best in brand creativity at AdAge.com/Creativity.
