5. ITV: Drama vs. Reality—The Game
Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio
ITV and agency Uncommon Creative studio have delighted us with sinister showdowns between traditional TV actors and reality TV personalities in the Drama vs. Reality campaign. The push has seen drama talents including Anna Friel of “Marcella” and Jason Watkins of “The Crown” facing off with “Love Island” stars in sinister, murderous scenarios. Now, the British broadcaster has taken the idea to a whole new level—the talents now get to off each other in a retro-style video game inspired by the gory and gruesome fighting titles “Mortal Kombat” and “Street Fighter.”
4) Mumbo Sauce: Who made the baked beans?
Agency: Brown and Browner Advertising
Chicago-founded BBQ condiment brand Mumbo Sauce recently debuted its first-ever TV campaign, starring an imposing matriarch who lords over the family gathering buffet and strikes fear in the hearts of those who don’t live up to her pot-luck expectations. Created out of South Carolina-based Brown and Browner Advertising, the ads are low-budget and at times, even crude in execution, but they don’t suffer for it thanks to the hilarious storytelling and spot-on performances from its cast of actors pulled from the local theater community.
3) Jif: The Lil Jif Project
Agency: Publicis New York
American rapper and actor Ludacris, whose music career spans two decades, recently returned to the scene with a new single, “Butter.ATL.” The track, which happens to give a shout-out for his favorite peanut butter Jif, also serves as the jumping-off point for a new ad. It sees the rapper struggling while recording the song in the studio—that is, until he eats a mouthful of his favorite P.B. From there, his flow seamlessly evolves into mumble style, his signature braids transform into a more modern Afro and he finds his groove once again. The campaign was created out of Publicis N.Y. and directed by music video vet Dave Meyers of Radical Media. It also includes a Tik Tok challenge inviting users to sing with Jif in their mouths.
2) International Paralympic Committee: #WeThe15
Agency: Adam&Eve/DDB
This year, messaging around the Paralympics took a decidedly more “human” turn. U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, for example, shifted its “superhumans” strapline to acknowledging that athletes with disabilities confront the same everyday challenges as athletic peers. And now, the International Paralympic Committee aims to normalize disabilities with a campaign highlighting the fact that 15% of the world’s population lives with disabilities. The “#Wethe15” push from Adam&EveDDB is backed by major brands such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Peloton. Spots raise awareness about the statistic as does a new purple pie chart logo designed by Pentagram. There’s also a branding initiative in which major companies will turn 15% of their own icons purple, as well as activations lighting up major landmarks around the world in that color.
1. Match: Adults Date Better
Agency: Mojo Supermarket
Match debuted a thoughtful, refreshing change of tone in a campaign promoting how it’s the platform for emotionally mature daters, contrasting it with other offerings targeted toward young singles or those looking for one-night stands. Featuring the tagline “Adults date better,” ads give a pass to people who send six text messages back-to-back or drink cocktails with tiny umbrellas because such behavior isn’t a big deal to those who have their “sh*t figured out.” There’s even a “ghostbusting” feature on the app designed to prevent users from ghosting matches they’ve already connected with. The campaign was created out of Mojo Supermarket and was inspired by founder Mo Said’s experiences braving the dating world once again after coming out of a long-term relationship.