Work of the Week: 14/06/24

Despite the UK’s first McDonald’s opening in 1974, even after all this time, it’s consistently remained a hit with younger, up-and-coming generations. In many ways, this is due to the fact that across the years, the golden arches have symbolised one of the only public places young adults really feel they can take ownership of… although what they actually call it is not exactly consistent. From ‘McD’s’ to British Sign Language variants to even ‘McDizzles’, there are a lot of personal nicknames for the brand, which is exactly what this campaign from Leo Burnett UK celebrates. Headlined by a food-less spot directed by Iconoclast, truly, this work celebrates the large role McDonald’s plays in British youth culture.

These days, it’s virtually expected that those pursuing a post-secondary education own a laptop of some kind. After all, with assignments to write, codes to craft, and designs to make, if you’ve got the financial privilege, you’re going to want a machine that can do it all. This is exactly what Apple believes its Macs to be capable of, which is celebrated in the brand’s latest campaign, created in partnership with TBWA\Media Arts Lab APAC. Shot on iPhone and edited on Mac, the spot was filmed across several universities, depicting the computer’s versatility, the student experience, and the growth that comes from hard, honest work.

While kids may not want to be thinking of the prospect of returning to school, having literally just wrapped their semesters, it’s never too early to start back to school shopping campaigns, which is exactly what JanSport has already done. Created in partnership with Party Land, as well as FIELD UNIT director Miche Sieg, and specifically designed to connect with the brand’s audience of 14 to 22-year-olds, the work celebrates all the niche but versatile applications of JanSport bags – from carrying 200 eggs to providing cover from swooping birds – with fun, irreverent, off-key songs.

With the UEFA European Championship set to kick off this week, it’s a great time for hype, as nations around the continent rally in support of their players and hope to bring home the coveted Henri Delaunay Cup. Unfortunately however, in the UK, not every fan will survive to see the team play, or even for the duration of the tournament itself. After all, statistically speaking, across the country, 12 young lives are tragically lost to sudden cardiac death… every single week. So, to put this into perspective, and emphasise the need for heart research funding, the British Heart foundation partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi London on a powerful OOH series which honours 12 football-loving individuals who met a tragic end – a poignant reminder during what’s normally a time of pure celebration.

Here’s a fun fact: for the past 100 years, the city of Yoro, Honduras has experienced an annual phenomenon, where fish rain from the sky. However, aside from the concept of possible dinner on the doorstep, traditionally not much was done about this seeming miracle, until in recent years, fish wholesaler Regal Springs and Ogilvy Honduras saw a chance to spur the local economy. Introducing the concept of ‘sky fishers’, the two launched a campaign to collect, sustainably package and ship the fish, with 80% of the sales generated going back to these unique fishers. Clearly, it’s done wonders, as today, 60% of Yoro’s population participates in some capacity.

Ah, there’s nothing quite like the joy of winning a pet plastic bottle at the funfair, or buying a juicy looking plastic bottle at the market, or cutting into a deliciously beer-battered plastic bottle at the local chip shop. If you’re confused, you might want to brace yourself – as this debut spot from Ocean Bottle and Sky satirically observes, the plastic-pollution crisis is a major issue which is damaging the lives of all our aquatic neighbours. However, dark humour aside, the work also ends on a positive reminder that buying a single bottle from the brand funds the collection of 1,000 plastic bottles – a reminder that the solution to cleaner oceans, and fish being where fish ought to be, is not actually that complicated. 

Despite its popularity in other countries, pork is not a top of mind meat in Australia, with only 8% of people thinking of it first. Of course, this begs the question, why? And this is exactly what Australian Pork Limited and creative agency Dig were asking as well… until they realised that the Spanish translation, ‘por que’, had a strong similarity to a certain protein they were trying to promote. As such, to renew the long standing ‘Get Some Pork on Your Fork’ campaign, the two worked together to introduce Ramón Jamón, a saucy character who uses clever wordplay to express his bafflement at people not partaking. 

The final piece of work on the list – on the eve of European football’s biggest tournament coming to a head, adidas has sent a powerful reminder to England star man and Ballon D’or candidate, Jude Bellingham, that he’s got this. Created by Johannes Leonardo, and Spindle director Greg Hackett, the spot is aptly set to The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’, reflects on the heartbreak of England’s recent footballing years – with the likes of Frank Lampard and David Beckham – and urges the team to travel to Germany with the ambition of taking a sad song and making it better.