Through New Year's, we will be counting down our picks for 2021's 30 best ads and creative marketing ideas.

At No. 10: In a real-world-meets-metaverse move, Pringles and Grey London "lured" a zombie out of a video game "West of Dead" during a Twitch streaming session, only to see him enter the meat space via a series of branded content films and IRL interactions with gamers. After the stunt was over, he returned to the game, where he's now an official Pringles-eating ambassador for the brand.

A new European campaign for Pringles involves a zombie character from a videogame who is "leaving" the game for two weeks to become a "real" character in its ads.

The brand started the stunt last night during a live Twitch session in which gaming influencer Leahviathan was playing new game "West of Dead" published by Raw Fury on Microsoft Xbox. During the game, as seen in the clip below, she popped a can of Pringles and the character, a zombie called Frank, appeared to reach through her screen and appear in her real world.

See the full list of 2021's Best Ads.

Over the next two weeks, "Frank" will stay out of the game to appear in a series of branded content films for the brand, directed by Conor Byrne of M ss ng P eces, in which he experiences the real world. He will also take over the Pringles Europe and Raw Fury Twitter accounts to interact with gamers. Then, on Feb. 10 he will "return" to the game—as a kind of zombie ambassador for Pringles.

The brand is claiming it's the first time a character from a videogame has left the game to appear in advertising. The character, Frank, was co-created with Raw Fury and Xbox for the purpose of the campaign and once he returns to the game, will be a "socially-savvy, Pringles-eating character" who will greet gamers in a gaming saloon to give them hints and tips.

The live Twitch stunt attracted over 780,000 views so far, according to the agency, with over 4000 chat messages sent about the incident.

"It’s a first on Twitch and for the gaming world to have a character actually leave a game and enter the real world. Having him return into the action for players to find and meet is an added layer of fun,” said Javier Campopiano, Grey's creative chairman, in a statement.

“In this approach we thought less like a snack brand and more like a gaming brand, creating something that gamers can engage with, not just advertising but in the game itself," added Laura Jordan Bambach, chief creative officer at Grey London.