The top 5 creative campaigns to know about right now

Job one in advertising is finding something different and memorable to say. Several campaigns achieved that this week by taking familiar objects or tropes and turning them on their head. Whether it was fortune cookies, nature posters or snack packaging, these campaigns offered fresh, disarming spins on existing products. Elsewhere this week, we got an instant-classic congrats ad for a championship sports team, and an inspired tech-driven campaign bringing awareness to the most human of experiences. See the full top 5 below. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here 5. Liquid Death: Misfortune Cookies Agency: In-house Leave it to Liquid Death to take a wholesome, family-friendly experience like fortune cookies and turn it as black as night. The beverage brand, in partnership with OpenFortune, created “Misfortune Cookies,” which are just like the original but with much grimmer predictions for your future. (One reads: “You will live a long, happy life. No wait. Sorry. That was actually for the person across from you. Things are not looking good for you.”) The amusingly bleak messages are right on brand, and the novel media channel is perfect for a company that specializes in them. 4. Sustainable Coastlines: Trash Species of Aotearoa New Zealand Agency: Augusto Nature posters showing different species of animals are instantly familiar. This campaign cleverly played off the genre to deliver an environmental message, showing the different kinds of trash in New Zealand’s waters as if they were sea creatures. There’s a playfulness to the names and illustrations (wonderfully crafted by wildlife artist Erin Forsyth) that draws the viewer in—so the smaller print can suggest ways to fix the problem. 3. Goldfish: Chilean Sea Bass Agency: Mischief @ No Fixed Address There’s something so silly about renaming Goldfish crackers as Chilean Sea Bass to suggest they aren’t just for kids—yet it’s great on a few levels. It’s funny. It’s self-deprecating. It’s got strong PR value (several networks picked it up) and fun package design. And it also allows the brand to retain a childlike vibe, even as it courts an older audience. This lends charm and approachability to what might seem like a not-so-subtle audience grab. It’s cool what a little humor can do. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here 2. Nike: Liberty Has a Nice Ring to It Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland Nike has done so many congrats ads for championship sports teams, you lose track of them all. But this one, for the New York Liberty, felt fresh with its simplicity and great visual payoff—a big winner, even if the song does feel more Yankees. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nike (@nike) 1. Canadian Stuttering Association: Stutter.ca Agency: John St. To emphasize that the 410,000 Canadians who stutter each have a unique voice, John St. developed 410,000 unique URLs that all redirect to the CSA’s website—each slightly different, representing all the ways a person who stutters might pronounce the web address. The idea is strong. The scale of the tech is amazing. The ad designs are eye-catching. And the whole effort has a generosity of spirit that’s inspiring. Excellent work across the board from agency John St. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

The top 5 creative campaigns to know about right now

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