This week: The holiday ad-stravaganza begins, a harrowing reminder that Planet Earth is not doing very well right now—plus the ultimate cheesefest

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5) Earth to COP: Action This Day
Agency: Harder Than You Think

The United Nations’ climate change conference COP26 kicked off last week with this opening ceremony film that laid bare, through found footage, the realities of global warming across the world. In just minutes, we’re swept through the devastating fires of Australia and the U.S.; floods in Scotland and Italy; typhoons in the Philippines and crumbling, melting glaciers in Norway and Greenland. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as quiet scenes of the Earth’s natural wonders remind delegates that it’s all worth fighting for.

4) Etsy: Give More Than a Gift
Agency: 72andSunny

The Christmas rush started in full force last week with a number of brands debuting holiday spots. Building off its emotional stories from last year’s push, Etsy returned with more affecting tales of human connection, cemented even further with the exchange of personalized, custom-made gifts created by the retailer’s crafty sellers. While the spots have a strong product message, they also stand out for storytelling that speaks to a diverse range of experiences, such as one story about the friendship between an elderly Asian woman and a young Black man. 
 

See the full lineup of Etsy holiday ads here.

3) Bol.com: Delivering Happy Smiles
Agency: Dept

This ad for Dutch online retailer Bol.com has all the feel-good bells and whistles you’d expect from a festive spot, but its hilarious (or should we say gut-wrenching) twist separates it from the rest of the pack. 

2) Velveeta: La Dolce Velveeta
Agency: Johannes Leonardo

Kraft Heinz’s Velveeta dives gloriously into the cheese, or should we say processed cheese, with “La Dolce Velveeta,” in a new brand campaign from Johannes Leonardo that broke alongside the company’s rebrand from Jones Knowles Ritchie. Inspired by the Italian phrase “la dolce vita,” or “the sweet life,” the campaign celebrates the product in its various forms—liquid gold pouring out of a vessel, congealed with macaroni in an ice cream cone—all enjoyed by a diverse, stylish crew. The spot was directed by Harmony Korine (“Spring Breakers”) and set to Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro.”  

See Velveeta's full rebrand story here.

1) Lego: Rebuild the World Holiday 2021; Adults Welcome
Agency: The Lego Agency

Lego ruled this past week with its 2021 holiday push as well as a new global campaign targeting adults, all conceived out of its in-house creative group. The first continued the brand’s ongoing “Rebuild the World” campaign with an exuberant, action-packed blockbuster featuring stormtroopers, killer bees, a water-shooting dragon and more, backed by a new rendition of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” The ad was directed by Stink-repped collective Traktor, who have helmed the campaign’s ads from the outset.

Equally fantastic was Lego’s new global push targeting world-weary grownups. The trio of ads center on adults bogged down by the annoyances of everyday life, but who finally get a moment of respite when they sit down with their boxes of bricks. The spots were directed by Kai Kurve of Hobby Film.

See more Lego spots geared toward adults here. 

Also: Will it work?

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

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