In this week's Top 5: travel ads from the horse's mouth, a car-loving cat and some tipsy fast food orders.

5. Apple: A Day in the Life of an Average Person's data
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab

Apple’s advertising has been superlative this year so far; for the third week running, one of its campaigns is among our top picks. This one, starring Nick Mohammed, aka Nate Shelley from “Ted Lasso,” takes an amusing long-form dive into Apple’s iPhone privacy features as we follow him about his day. It's also a double whammy for Apple, pushing Apple TV+ as it plugs iPhone.

4. Lexus: At Home in an NX
Agency: The&Partnership Japan

Some charming storytelling and an adorable cat transform a straightforward car ad into something more watchable in this Lexus spot from Japan. Our fluffy protagonist makes its home in a Lexus NX with its comfy heated seats and the owner, who after at first turfing the creature out, comes to love it—even though it turns out he’s a dog guy. It’s a simple idea, but nicely done, with direction by Bruce St. Clair of Great Guns, who coaxes a winning performance out of his feline star.

3. Visit Lexington: The World's First Travel Review by Horses
Agency: Cornett

We’ve admired Cornett’s work for Lexington, Kentucky's tourism office for some time. A previous campaign put GoPros on horses and made them videographers, but this latest stunt goes one further; the agency tapped a psychic medium to communicate with horses in the Lexington area about why they love living there—then translated the animals’ thoughts into ads. The barn cat also got a chance to share her views.

2. Alzheimer Forschung: The Glitch
Agency: BBDO Germany

This striking and thought-provoking PSA uses camera and editing techniques to suggest that the disease is a glitch in the brain, combining “data moshing” effects with a first-person POV to compellingly place the viewer in the shoes of the protagonist—an older woman who is suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s. The agency and director worked with a neurologist to create a design interpretation of the brainwaves of people living with the disease. It’s a smart way to appeal to younger viewers, who are well-versed in effects like data moshing from the likes of TikTok and Instagram.

1. McDonald's: We Speak Late Night
Agency: DDB Group Aotearoa

This outdoor campaign from McDonald’s New Zealand, with headlines that sound like inebriated people ordering food, is a somewhat edgy move for the brand, given that it’s joking about alcohol consumption. But it’s great fun, and super-engaging, as decoding the copy is half the fun. The idea is to re-establish McDonald’s as the destination of choice after a night on the town; we also loved the dedication (read: a session at the pub then going for a McDonald’s) that the agency put into researching the idea.