This week: a breathtaking follow-up to a famous holiday ad, an iconic toy grows up, a curious assignment for war photographers. 

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5) Activision/Call of Duty: Vanguards of Photography
Agency: Gut

Fernando Machado, the celebrated Restaurant Brands International chief marketing officer who joined video game giant Activision earlier this year came out with one of his first major campaigns for the video game giant, to promote Call of Duty: Vanguard, the latest installment of the popular franchise set during World War II.  To showcase how realistic the game’s visuals are, Activision, with agency Gut, invited real-world conflict photographers into the games. Armed with virtual cameras, they captured photographs as they would if they were in a real war zone. Prints of their images will be sold, with all proceeds going to the Call of Duty Endowment, which helps find employment for U.S. vets.

4) Apple: Start Up — A Song Made From 45 years of Apple Sounds

To kick off its October product event last week, Apple put 45 years of its sonic history into a brand new song. The company tapped English musician A.G. Cook to create “Start Up,” an original tune composed of the brand’s famous mnemonics, including the Mac computer’s opening chime, iPhone alerts and the clicking of a classic iPod wheel.

3) Burberry: Open Spaces 

Last year, under the direction of Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci, Burberry captivated viewers with the mesmerizing “Festive” ad that put a fantastical, modern spin on the classic Hollywood film “Singin’ in the Rain.” To promote this year’s Fall/Winter collection, the brand teamed once again with directing collective Megaforce and choreographers La Horde to debut another breathtaking ad that sees dancers soaring over cornfields, through forests and above the White Cliffs of Dover.  

2) Fisher-Price: 60th Anniversary Chatter Phone
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy

Fisher-Price takes the nostalgia trend to a whole new level with this delightful product idea. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of its Chatter Phone, the company created a working version of the iconic toy—one that you can actually make calls on. It operates by connecting to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and will be on sale at Best Buy for $60. Fisher-Price got playful with the marketing as well, with a launch spot from Wieden+Kennedy that satirizes the glossy ads of the phone’s high-tech “competitors.”

1) HBO/Zumbrota Ford: 'Last Week Tonight' commercial

This ad from a local Minnesota Ford Dealer, Zumbrota Ford, has an incredible backstory. John Oliver’s team on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” noticed that a number of local auto dealers were running basically the same spot across the country. They all had the same script, but each dealer put its own spin on the production. That inspired Oliver to issue a challenge/gift to such advertisers — his team would write the script for one dealer’s next ad, but that dealer would have to agree to produce it and run it, sight unseen. Zumbrota Ford, one of the dealers featured in Oliver’s original segment, took the bait. Zumbrota owner Steve Johnson was hesitant about the idea at first, but ultimately, after Oliver debuted the spot on his show, it ended up going viral and led to some direct sales. The idea was a winning stunt for the auto dealer, while also serving as an unexpected showcase of the comedy (and marketing) talent on Oliver’s team.

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

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