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

Short films in advertising aren’t always worth the viewer’s time, but we got two excellent ones this week—one lighthearted, the other quite the opposite. Also among the week’s standout work, we saw an enjoyably melodramatic rebrand of a classic liqueur, a beautifully made Ad Council spot and a woozy sequel to one of 2022’s most captivating holiday campaigns. See all of this week’s Top 5 below. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs 5. Kahlúa: Stir Up Agency: Wieden+Kennedy London Mexican telenovelas have been spoofed in advertising countless times, but Salma Hayek brings extra star power to this amusingly over-the-top campaign for Kahlúa. The overacting, the exaggerated sound effects, the dialogue mirrored in blocky onscreen text—it’s all perfectly OTT, and elevates the material beyond mere parody. The campaign also includes vibrant out-of-home executions and a redesigned bottle. 4. Huntsman Mental Health Institute x Ad Council: Love, Your Mind Agencies: FCB New York and Chicago Black and Hispanic men overindex among U.S. adults who experience mental health challenges but also hold attitudes and/or beliefs that discourage them from seeking help. This campaign, called “Love, Your Mind,” from the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council, aims to get those men talking—addressing their problems in a healthy way. The 60-second spot below is beautifully shot by Prettybird director Calmatic. And the dialogue—written from the point of view of a person’s mind—has a really interesting tone. It’s an impressive first step for a campaign that will soon expand into work aimed at women, LGBTQ+ and AANHPI audiences. 3. Uber: Best Friends Agency: Mother People can get ornery about Robert De Niro’s comedy work, but he’s great at playing the curmudgeonly foil to characters who are overly earnest. That’s the basic setup of Uber’s gem of a three-minute film from the U.K., which also stars Asa Butterfield (of “Sex Education” fame) as a De Niro suckup who magically transitions to best friend. David Shane (Ad Age’s Director of the Year this year) does a nice job of channeling rom-com vibes without descending into caricature. And the distilled brand proposition—that Uber Eats and Uber ridesharing are good for people who “eat food and go places”—is refreshingly snappy. And thank goodness they didn’t do a “Taxi Driver” parody. 2. Ocean Spray: Power Your Party Agency: Orchard Ocean Spray is like a whole new brand since Nathan Apodaca longboarded to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” back in COVID times. The past year, in particular, has been fruitful, as agency Orchard has brought a compelling energy to the brand’s communications. Following last year’s jiggly “Power Your Holidays” spot, we now get a sequel—the exceedingly swirly “Power Your Party.” Once again, it’s about how the cranberry brings a dose of excitement to lackluster gatherings, supercharging the guests—even if it appears they don’t have much say in the matter. The whole production is strange and mesmerizing, a worthy sequel to the original and another entertaining step in the brand’s impressive reskinning. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs 1. The Harris Project: You Don't Know the Half of It Agencies: Havas New York Bringing cinematic craft to stories of addiction is a slippery slope—you risk making drug abuse look glamorous amid the suffering. This short film, though, about the co-occurring disorders (COD) of drug misuse and mental health problems, while beautifully shot, sidesteps that problem largely through an incredibly written voiceover. As Daniel Wolfe’s scenes unfold, the VO keeps the viewer grounded in the reality of the problem at hand. Everything comes back to the brutal circular dynamics feeding both illnesses. By the end, there’s no illusion about the severity of COD—and the need for more awareness around it. A real triumph in the PSA space, hopefully this film—along with The Harris Group’s behind-the-scenes policy work—can make a difference in an untold number of lives. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here

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

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