Welcome to this week’s edition of the top 5 most innovative brand ideas of the week.
At number five, wine brand Kendall-Jackson and agency The Engine is Red realized there was a glaring lack of representation in the alcohol world -- because white wine doesn’t have its own emoji. Until now, reds have gotten all the digital glory so to get whites their own icone, they began a full-blown campaign and submitted a 15-page proposal to the Unicode Consortium.
At number four, this week, the Commercial Directors Diversity Program debuted six films to come out of its initiative helping underrepresented directing talents succeed in the ad business. One of the coolest was a spec spot from Monty Marsh, who imagined where Adidas Originals meets Afrofuturism.
At number three, Philips found a unique way to honor Nelson Mandela’s legacy -- through his hairstyle. The brand and Ogilvy Johannesburg partnered with The Nelson Mandela Foundation on “Shave to Remember,” a campaign which includes a spot featuring South Africans sporting his signature cut and speaking of his significance to their country. At a launch event, the brand tapped 30 barbers for to give his cut for free, and Philips is also selling limited-edition clippers with proceeds going to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
At number two, last year the Daily Show memorialized the words of our president at The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, a pop-up that showcased the many POTUS tweets over the years. This week, it made the library available to the masses in the form of a book, with scholarly commentary courtesy of Daily Show writers and an intro by Trevor Noah.
At number one is probably the coolest brand move we’ve seen in a long time. This week, sound tech company Sonos debuted its IPO, so to ring in the event it redesigned Nasdaq’s opening bell. The company’s sound team, consisting of Grammy and Oscar-winning talent, evolved it from the consistent clang that rang for18 years into a multi-textured sonic signature created from Tibetan bells, clinking glasses, hammers and even coins. The idea also dovetails with Nasdaq’s own rebranding as a tech-focused and forward-looking exchange.
Check out more of the best in brand creativity at adage.com/creativity.