It was a good week for smartphone advertising, as two hardware makers and two wireless carriers delivered four of the top five campaigns of the week. See that work below, along with a special drag-themed Fourth of July ad that went up in the heart of the consumer capital of the world.
The top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about right now
5. Samsung: Join the Flip Side, Season 2
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam has been having fun with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4 phone. The agency created the “Join the Flip Side” campaign last fall, which continued this week with a fun teen-horror parody. All the tropes of summer camp scaries are here, including the false escape that happens in so many of those movies. Wonderfully overacted, too. We give it a solid two thumbs up.
4. Deutsche Telekom: Without Consent
Creator: adam&eveBerlin
Two campaigns from wireless carriers addressed privacy concerns this week, but in very different ways. This one, from Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, was dark and intense—using deepfake technology to warn parents about the consequences, years from now, of sharing photos of their kids online today. Sobering work from adam&eveBerlin.
3. Orange: Trust Journey
Agency: Publicis Conseil
Telecom giant Orange’s new campaign also explored data security, but from the opposite angle—creating a sweeping metaphor for the security that users can feel when their carrier has a secure network and tools for fostering safe digital citizenry across its ecosystem. Seb Edwards directed the two-minute spot, which is clearly influenced by the stunning aerial choreography of the recent Burberry ads.
2. Werq the World Tour: Founding Fathers
Agency: Uncommon
Leave it to a British agency, Uncommon, to deliver the year’s most pointed Fourth of July ad—a reminder from RuPaul’s Werq the World Tour that drag has a long and distinguished history in the U.S. dating back to the Founding Fathers. Well timed, given the attacks on drag all year long, and bonus points for putting the ad up in the capitalist mecca of Times Square.
1. Apple: Huracán Ramírez vs. La Piñata Enchilada
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab LATAM
Apple charmed us this week with yet another exquisite “Shot on iPhone” short film. This one was made in Mexico—the first such Apple film produced entirely in that country—and tells the story of an epic standoff between a luchador and a giant, evil piñata-gone-berserk. The work, directed by Los Pérez, extends Apple’s growing commitment to making campaigns authentic to specific markets worldwide, and is a worthy addition to Apple’s strong legacy of branded entertainment.