Work of the Week: 06/09/24

Today, we kick off the list with a saucy predicament. Heinz has launched a potentially marmite-level divisive condiment – the pickle ketchup. To match the risk factor of the decision, the launch campaign had to score nearly as high on the shock factor scale. 

So, they sent a human pickle to the La Tomatina festival in Spain. And for those who might not know, this is a very classic festival in ‘tomato Europe’, where a huge crowd gathers to simply throw tomatoes at each other.

As we watch the Renaissance-adjacent visuals of the human pickle jumping in between a medley of tomato-covered people, we are quickly reminded that this shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, founder of the brand Henry J Heinz once had the name the 'Pickle King’. And besides, who doesn’t love a pickle?

National Grid has launched a campaign to promote The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the UK electricity grid in generations. Developed with M&C Saatchi UK, the campaign features a 40-second film raising awareness of the upgrade and its benefits, highlighting National Grid’s commitment to a clean and affordable energy future.

The Great Grid Upgrade aims to transport more clean energy from sources like the North Sea wind turbines to UK homes and businesses, enhancing energy security, affordability, and self-sufficiency.

And we can’t not address the elephant in the room – a giant power plug being transported across the country and plugged into a socket near an offshore wind farm, symbolising the connection of clean energy to towns and villages. 

Building an iconic tagline isn’t an easy job. And in KitKat’s case, it took decades, but it paid off. Now ‘Have a Break, Have a KitKat’ is the main pillar of the brand’s identity and its iterations seem to be endless, the latest one of which was created by VML and is a fully integrated campaign spanning TV, online video, OOH, social and influencer.

In the midst of a busy office day, the hero of the film starts to feel it’s time for a break. On his way to the exit, sticky notes, his laptop, a white board and other stationary representing the literal tasks causing him stress float and stick to his body. By the time he’s out, he’s carrying a terrifying load of stress. That is, until he has a KitKat. 

Banjoman’s film ‘STAY OFF KARMA’S MENU’ is a comedic collaboration with Strong Roots, a plant-based and meat replacement brand, set in the fictional Karma Inc. It follows two karma technicians investigating karmic actions and engaging in some hilarious back and forth as they file people’s actions under ‘good’ and ‘bad’, reflecting Strong Roots’ sustainability ethos. The brand promotes a vegetable-forward diet to reduce climate impact without sacrificing taste. 

The film humorously highlights everyday mischiefs and karmic consequences, positioning the brand as a promoter of good karma. Directed by Dermot Malone – marking his first ever venture into comedy –the film debuts on Virgin Atlantic’s in-flight entertainment this week.

There’s surely nothing greater than going to the shop and strolling through the homeware/clothes section, even though that was never your intention in the first place – the miscellaneous items you buy in those moments later always become the household’s favourites. Now, to please all homeware fanatics, Tesco has launched its revamped range of curated and stylish home items for F&F Home. 

BBH London took on the challenge to present them to all of us, through a visually arresting fashion campaign. ‘Fashion Now Does Homeware’ sees a series of abstract pieces made of dinner plates, spoons, cushions and others. The campaign used no AI or CHI to create the clothes too! Someone call the Met Gala!

To conclude today’s list, we have a sweet and nostalgia-inducing story. While we all try to stay away from our phones and remain present in the moments of socialising with our closest people – an undoubtedly good thing – often we might find ourselves wishing we had captured a beautiful moment on camera that is now nothing more than a distant memory. 

But what if we could extract memories directly from our brains, and onto paper? Dr. Paul Scotti’s innovative [Mind]ography project merges Functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans with advanced machine learning to reconstruct memories straight from one’s mind. Supported by Research Imaging NSW, Dr. Scotti trained his AI algorithm to identify the unique brain patterns of Nicole Toum, a social worker from Sydney, Australia. The experiment focused on core memories that Nicole hadn’t captured in photos. After losing her father in 2018, she selected three significant memories to be reconstructed through [Mind]ography. These later became the centrepiece of an exhibition at China Heights Gallery, where they were displayed as printed images.

The project also involved Australian independent agency HERO, which collaborated with Chisel to produce an emotionally evocative film documenting the [Mind]ography journey. This film was launched as a social-first campaign, supported by public relations efforts and paid media, aiming to engage and move audiences by showcasing the profound impact of memory reconstruction technology.