The top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about now

This week: Brands make big moves on the accessibility front and join Hollywood's biggest night to deliver all kinds of messages. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. 5. Oscar Mayer: If You Have a Wiener Agency: Johannes Leonardo In the run-up to the Oscars, many brands stepped out to use Hollywood’s biggest night as a platform, but Kraft Heinz’s Oscar Mayer took the opportunity to make an unexpected social statement about the show’s well-documented lack of gender inclusion. The wiener brand “roasted” the awards for, well, too many “wieners” throughout its history, highlighting how male directors are “46 more times more likely to take home a director win.” The phrase was seen on social posts, on the Wienermobile and out-of-home placements around the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. 4. Heinz: Make Heinz an Actor Agency: Rethink Yet another Kraft Heinz brand, Heinz Ketchup, also stepped out for the Oscars to double down on its efforts to get Tinseltown recognition. Back in 2020, in a campaign from Rethink, the brand put up its own IMDB page to highlight its key roles in cinematic history. It returned this year with a campaign in which the ketchup applied to get into an official actors union, along with a “For Your Consideration” billboard on L.A.’s Santa Monica Boulevard. See the finalists for Ad Age's 2022 Creativity Awards For more great ideas, bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day at Adage.com/Creativity. 3. Google: A Look Can Say a Lot Agency: In-House In yet another Academy Awards push, Google returned to Hollywood’s big night with another ad highlighting its accessibility tools. The ad depicted a series of cinematically shot eyes, to illustrate just how much a “look” can say. The idea then ramped up when the spot showed how the eyes of one woman, an ALS patient, actually allowed her to speak, with the help of Google’s Look to Speak function. 2. Crypto.com: Basics are now essentials Like Oscar Mayer, Crypto.com turned to the Academy Awards to make a statement beyond the shill. The crypto exchange brand, which previously has used major stages such as the Super Bowl and big stars including LeBron James and Matt Damon to promote itself, got a lot quieter for the Oscars. Its ad featured simple typography explaining how basics in life, such as batteries, bread, blankets and hot soup, are now essentials in Ukraine. It then displayed a QR code that leads viewers to a donation page for the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) movement. 1. Mastercard: Introducing Touch Card by Mastercard Agency: McCann Mastercard made history with its “Priceless” campaign, but the innovations it has introduced in recent years around its own credit card offerings are a new milestone in its marketing. The company’s True Name card recognized the brand’s transgender customers, and now, the Touch Card promises to make life a lot easier for consumers with sight impairment. The brand is promoting the offering with a cinematic ad from McCann, which features a day in the life of a blind woman, each moment narrated with an audio description. The company announced the product in October and is now working with banks and merchants on the rollout of the card, which was co-designed by tech company Idemia. High-quality journalism isn’t always free. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight.

The top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about now

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