The top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about right now

This week: A streaming giant's nerdtastic giveaway, Christmas ads that will stop you in your tracks, a super-cool vaccine push and more. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. 5. Cheetos: Yacht the Basel: The Art of the Cheetle Agency: Rock the Bells As if being a delicious snack weren't enough, Cheetos has consistently tried to weave itself into pop culture. Having already partnered with rapper Bad Bunny for a clothing collaboration, and allowed consumers to “paint the world with Cheetos” through the Cheetos Vision app introduced during SXSW, the Frito-Lay's brand now will make an appearance at Art Basel. Cheetos teamed with LL Cool J’s hip-hop culture company, Rock the Bells, to host “Yacht the Basel: The Art of the Cheetle.” The exhibit will feature works from artist Lefty Out There created entirely out of Cheetle, the powdery cheesy dust that lingers on your fingertips after you eat Cheetos. 4. Apple: Saving Simon Agency: TBWA/Media Arts Lab Apple has consistently upped the ante in promoting the photographic capabilities of its iPhone with the “Shot on iPhone” campaign, tapping Oscar-winning directors such as Damien Chazelle and Kathryn Bigelow to direct its ambitious ads. It continues the tradition this holiday by bringing on not one but two top Hollywood talents, the father-and-son duo Ivan and Jason Reitman. Fresh off working together on “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the pair directed this sweet but shocking story about a girl named Olive who sets out to keep her snowman buddy Simon alive all year round. 3. Pfizer: GTA RolePlay Vaccine Push Agency: Ogilvy Brazil; Druid This might be the coolest COVID-19 vaccination push we’ve seen yet. Pfizer set out to encourage younger Brazilians to get vaxxed—while they played the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. The pharmaceutical brand launched a special mission in Grand Theft Auto RolePlay, a modded version of GTA, that challenged gamers to get the COVID-19 vaccine in the Cidade Alta game, which is the largest GTA RP server in Latin America. Users are then encouraged to post a pic of their avatars, with a blue bandage that signals they've received the in-game jab, as well as a photo of themselves that shows they've received the vaccine in real-life. 2. Netflix: Fansgiving Agency: Cash Studios In time for Thanksgiving, Netflix pulled the ultimate fan appreciation move with its “Fansgiving.” As part of the event, the streaming giant is giving away props from its most popular shows, such as the Red Light Green Light doll from “Squid Game,” Geralt of Rivia’s wolf amulet from “The Witcher,” Mike’s Schwinn Sting-Ray bike from “Stranger Things” and Lady Whistldown’s Society Papers from “Bridgerton.” The idea was conceived with Cash Studios and also includes other prizes such as VIP trips to immersive events such as “The Queens Ball: A Bridgerton Experience” to be held in Los Angeles next March, as well as a trip to Paris to attend the season two premiere of “Emily in Paris.” The contest is being hosted on Netflix’s own merch site, so presumably, if fans failed to score the free goods, they could purchase their own consolation prize. 1. Posten (Norwegian Post): When Harry Met Santa Agency: Pol The Norwegian postal service, Posten, has made it a tradition to cause a stir during the holidays, with one ad that questioned the Virgin Birth and another that depicted Santa as an “angry white man.” This year, the brand takes a more pensive turn with an affecting tale of a gay man who, for decades, pines over the true love he only gets to see fleetingly only once a year—St. Nicholas. But thanks to Posten, Kris Kringle gets to delegate some of his delivery duties and fulfill the most important wish of all. The spot debuted to celebrate 50 years of Norway legalizing same-sex marriage. For more great ideas, bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day at Adage.com/Creativity. High-quality journalism isn’t free. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight.

The top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about right now

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