Work of the Week: 22/09/23
Another week has gone by, which means another beautiful list full of the best creative work from around the world. If you were thinking of making a home cooked meal, tonight’s not the night - in today’s list both Uber Eats and Postmates are convincing us that you can pretty much get (‘Almost, Almost’) anything on both apps. Be it a period romance love interest or just some insane soup dumplings.
In other foodie news, Samuel L. Jackson plays a very angry Jonathan Warburton in the newest Warburton’s ad, and tells off online haters attacking the Toastie Loaf’s originality.
On the more serious side of things, both adidas and the Guardian are paying homage to the iconic nature of their brands - adidas by commemorating the unforgettable three lines, and the Guardian by reminding you that they are definitely ‘Not for sale’. This and more, below.
Mad About The Bread - Warburtons
After an iconic line up of storytelling adverts featuring A-listers such as George Clooney, Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone, Britain’s biggest family bakery Warburtons, has gained another alumni - Samuel L. Jackson, playing none other than the beadmaker chairman Jonathan Warburton.
In a Declan Lowney-directed spot, Samuel L. Jackson breaks down the Toastie Loaf’s softness, butterability and bounceability (“Yes, that’s a thing”) for any online hater that might be questioning it. And specifically for Steve, who went a bit overboard on socials asking Jonathan about the Loaf’s similarity to the wanna-be toasties at the supermarket.
This Is Your Brain on Food - Postmates
There is no other feeling like getting the exact food you were craving and taking the first bite. Postmates’ new campaign is dedicated to this precise moment and the abstract worlds it unlocks in your brain.
In three colourful spots, accompanied by influencer partnerships, traditional OOH and two commissioned OOH murals by LA artists, Postmates tells us exactly what tasting the perfect Nashville hot chicken (and other flavour combos) looks like in our heads.
No food feeling is the same, though, so partner Mother in LA tapped different artists to interpret each acid-induced food world in the campaign. Postmates also collaborated with Nexus Design Studio to create the perfect accompanying animation, be it for the soft, tranquil world of soup dumplings, or the insane fit of colour that is boba.
The joy of ordinary sounds - Specsavers
This is more of a real-world-based satisfaction, as opposed to the previous one on the list. Specsavers is once again celebrating hearing and their audiology services, by reminding us that there is nothing like… Well, hearing.
In a zero-words spot, the campaign created by Specsavers Creative employs ASMR to show characters stopping their day, so they can relish the sounds of existing - squelching wellies in mud, bus doors opening and closing, a tent zipper going up and down, and many more.
The video ad is accompanied by a genius OOH iteration - a range of onomatopoeic words or phrases, such as the words ‘tst’ repeated 65 times on a billboard to represent a sprinkler!
We Gave the World an Original. You Gave Us a Thousand Back. - adidas
Adidas’ Trefoil has been around for over 50 years and has seen it all - it’s lived a thousand lifetimes and traded feet with both athletes and cultural pioneers. This is why, marking the arrival of a new era in 2023, the brand pays homage to those that have put it at the forefront of culture with a new global campaign.
The campaign, headlined by three films shot by three creative pioneers, introduces a new visual direction paying homage to the ever-present power of ‘three’ throughout history. Alongside a new brand typeface, the Trefoil is reborn with the customary ‘adidas’ removed from beneath it, to cut through the noise with greater clarity.
Get Almost, Almost Anything - Uber Eats
If Tom Felton could relive his Draco Malfoy days, would he? According to Uber Eats ANZ, he definitely would… But that doesn’t mean he should. The brand’s newest campaign sees both Tom and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan get exactly what they ask for in two video spots that remind us that we can get ‘almost’ anything through the Uber Eats app.
Typing ‘magic’ in the search bar, Tom Felton ends up with a brand new wand and disappears his neighbour, with the whole fiasco ending in him being locked up by police after a missing-person search. It’s just as crazy as it sounds. Hence, ‘Magic - No. Ice Magic - Yes,’ advises Uber Eats.
Endangered Species First-Home Buyers - SBS Bank
In a nature documentary style campaign, New Zealand-owned SBS Bank has reignited its positioning - 'Bank With Heart' - and its 154-year heritage. The spot sees a woman finding a couple of ‘first-home buyers’ emerge from the bushes around her house - ‘I love first-home buyers’, she exclaims at the sight of the endangered species.
That is, until SBS Bank comes to the rescue and takes the first-home buyers to shelter. In a category first, the campaign reframes first home buyers as New Zealand’s latest endangered species - crucial to the survival of the good life in Aotearoa and one everyone can play a role in helping save and protect.
Not for sale - The Guardian
Today’s list ends with a homage to the Guardian as an indispensable part of media culture, and its unique ownership model. In its first campaign since 2019, the brand has launched ‘Not for sale’, in collaboration with Lucky Generals, embracing a new strategic and creative approach.
The work exudes strength, confidence and an acute understanding of the Guardian’s readers and the way in which they interact with the brand’s media lore. Accompanying the campaign are a range of bold and bright posters digitally and out of home, proudly proclaiming the Guardian is “Loved”, “Hated”, “Trusted" , “Feared”, “But never controlled”.
