Watch: The top 5 creative brand ideas you need to know about right now
5. Squarespace: Mission Control
Agency: In-house
Space has been a popular theme in marketing, but it gets really down to earth in a new campaign from Squarespace that likens the ambitions of small business owners to our quest for conquering the cosmos. The effort, created in-house, features a breathtaking film directed by Ian Pons Jewell of Reset, which depicts an unusual group of objects—the fruits of small business owners’ labor—taking flight.
4. Miller Lite: Cantenna
Agency: DDB
Just in time for National Football League season, Miller Lite debuted an unusual new product—a can of beer that also allows football fans to enjoy games for free. Ahead of games last Sunday night, the brand started to seed on social media links to sketchy sites, luring NFL fans with access to view games, only to send them to a music video cautioning about the perils of illegal streaming. Ultimately, it recommended they try to sign up for the brand’s new “Cantenna,” a 12-oz. vessel of brew that also comes equipped with a digital antenna and coaxial cable to give them access to games on local networks—no cable required.
3. Apple: It Already Does That
Following its big fall product launch event earlier this week, Apple dropped this new spot promoting the new Apple Watch Series 6. It features a stately voiceover from actress Helena Bonham-Carter, in which she expounds on the bright future we’ll have once technology reaches a certain point. But at every turn, she’s foiled (and flustered) by Apple Watch users, who don’t hesitate to inform her that all that tech is available now, right on their wrists. Craig Gillespie of MJZ, director of films including “I, Tonya” and “Lars and the Real Girl,” was behind the camera for this one.
2. State of New York: Mask Up America—For the Love of—Paul Rudd;
Producers: Paul Rudd, Sean Evans
New York MTA: The State of Respect
Agency: Conquistadors
We’ve seen a slew of creative pushes around mask wearing, but this past week, to further promote the safety message, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pulled out one of the big guns—Paul Rudd. Cuomo tapped the actor and comedian to create this goofy film in which Rudd plays a “millennial,” spouting all the phrases (he thinks) younger folks are using. As always, Rudd shines comedically, but the film takes an unexpected turn—so make sure to keep watching.
The film dropped alongside an outdoor effort from the New York MTA and agency Conquistadors, which tapped a dozen artists from around the world to create a series of stunning posters that turned the state’s outline into masks on diverse New Yorkers’ faces.
1. Patagonia: Assholes Tag
Outdoor clothing and equipment brand Patagonia took its activism to a new level—by sewing it directly onto its clothing tags. The social media-verse was afire this week when shoppers discovered that the underside of tags on the brand’s shorts revealed the message “vote the assholes out.” Many questioned whether it was a joke, but Patagonia confirmed that it was for real—and that founder Yvon Chouinard has spoken of voting the assholes out for several years. By “assholes,” he means “politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science,” a spokesperson told Ad Age.
That’s it for the Top 5. Make sure to check out more of the best in brand creativity at Adage.com/Creativity.
