Clever Ideas, Great Ads

Nex Playground Launches First National Brand Campaign Calling Families to Bring the Living Room Back to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:50:35 +0000

Nex, the company behind Nex Playground, the active play system that gets families moving together, today launched "Bring Back Family Time," its first integrated national brand campaign created in partnership with independent integrated agency Zambezi. Debuting across television, streaming, digital, social, and out-of-home media, the campaign introduces Nex on a national stage while encouraging families to rethink the role technology can play in everyday life – reminding us that technology can bring families together and help us be more active and connected.

As personal devices increasingly compete for our attention, shared experiences have become harder to find. With "Bring Back Family Time," Nex takes a stand for a different kind of screen experience: one that brings families back into the living room, gets them moving, and turn technology into something that creates connection rather than distraction.

At the center of the campaign is a cinematic hero film told entirely from the perspective of the family television. As a silent witness to decades of family life, the TV watches the living room evolve from a place filled with imagination, movement, and togetherness into one where each family member gradually retreats into their own personal screen. The story concludes with the arrival of Nex Playground, transforming the living room back into a shared gathering place where families can connect.

Bringing the personified television to life as the silent witness, heartbeat and centerpiece of the family living room is acclaimed actor Richard Kind, whose unmistakable voice lends warmth, humor, and heart to the campaign. Known for his colorful and emotive performances – including his role as Bing Bong in Pixar’s Inside Out – Kind gives the film’s narrator a sense of nostalgia and quirky charm as it reflects on decades of family life.

“This campaign is much bigger than just introducing people to Nex Playground," said David Lee, CEO and co-founder of Nex. "In a world where screens are increasingly designed to capture our individual attention, we're proving that screens can do something different. We believe the best technology strengthens human connection, encourages movement, and creates moments families can share together. That's exactly what we're building, and what 'Bring Back Family Time' is inviting people to rethink."

"Bring Back Family Time" launches September 1 across a national paid media campaign spanning streaming, television, digital, social, and out-of-home advertising. With media strategy led by Scale by Zambezi, the campaign is an integrated cross-platform push, which will reach parents and families on a mass scale to inspire them to stop and think. The campaign follows a period of significant momentum for Nex Playground, including a historic 2025 holiday season in which it outsold Xbox, surpassing one million units sold, launching in the United Kingdom, and announcing plans to expand into Germany later this year, with France, Japan and South Korea to follow in 2027.

"The living room used to be the ultimate stage for imagination and shared moments. From epic pillow battles and make-believe sword fights to laughter-filled family gatherings, every day was alive with energy and connection," said Gavin Lester, Chief Creative Officer at Zambezi. “Our goal is to show what happens when that space turns into a silent, blue-light slumber of individual scrolling, and how active play with Nex brings that life back. It’s an idea that hits close to home for any parent who’s watched their own living room grow quiet, and invites Nex as the solution."

The campaign film can be viewed on Nex Playground’s YouTube channel.

To learn more, visit nexplayground.com or follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.

Meet Jiwon Yang: The Third Culture Kid Bringing a Global Perspective to Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Meet Jiwon Yang, a young copywriter at Cheil USA whose unconventional path into advertising is every bit as interesting as the perspective she brings to the industry!

A self-described “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) who grew up between Korea and the United States, Jiwon has experienced firsthand how media can connect people across cultures. Her curiosity has led her from business school to portfolio school, earning a scholarship, building a LinkedIn following of more than 7,000, generating millions of social media views, moving across countries, and ultimately landing her first professional creative role.

In her Featured Creative Q&A, Jiwon talks about finding her place in advertising, researching beyond what's obvious, learning from others, and why, in an increasingly AI-driven industry, human taste, opinions, and feelings still matter.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do? Where do you work? How long have you been working as a creative professional?

I am currently a copywriter at Cheil USA working on accounts like Samsung and helping with new business pitches. Excluding my portfolio school education, I would say I'm close to a year of being a copywriter.

As a professional Copy Writer working for one of the top creative agencies in the world, what does a typical day look like for you?

It depends on what the workload is since every day it's different, but I start with checking my teams to see if anyone is OOO and then I go to my dashboard to see if there were any hot asks that came through that I missed or if any of the projects I worked on that were went for review came back.

I would say a typical day when I'm working on a project is having lots of meetings with account and my creative director. I get feedback from internal creative team but have to update the deck / copy after while still making it in time for internal meetings with account so that my copy is also approved by them too. It's a lot considering you really have to satisfy basically everyone while still trying to make it as creative as possible and meet their ask, but I try not to skip and meals or panic!

What drew or motivated you to do the work that you do now?

I always grew up being obsessed with social media. When I was living in the United States, it was the only way I could watch K-Pop music videos and vice versa when I was living in Korea.

I've also loved books - that's actually how I picked up English so fast when I was young and had just came to the U.S. with my family for my dad's job! I've always wanted to be a fiction writer because I was such a curious kid, but I wasn't really sure as I grew older and reality started kicking in.

I went to college as a business major because I liked interacting with people and had a mind that was, in a sense, 'salesy'! But when I became a sophomore in college, I realized I didn't want to do business analytics and health insurance for the rest of my life. As I went through 'senioritis', I started dm-ing tons of people on Linkedin and learned that you didn't have to be great at art to work in advertising as I can draw as much as a stick figure! The fact that there was a separate role for you to write for brands blew my mind and it felt like a glass slipper Cinderella moment.

I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to an online portfolio school called book180 as their first international student and I learned from Creative Directors around the world with students based in the United States. I woke up at 7am before my Korean college classes to take classes in EST and worked in the AM to partner up with my art directors. Getting 'mock briefs' related to American brands made me interested in learning about the US advertising market, so I decided to change my major, school, and country - all while still attending portfolio school.

Tell us about some creative work that inspire you? Whose work do you admire?

I think it changes all the time as the things that I value in advertising change. It's such a fast paced industry and inspiration definitely comes from not just ads, but culture in general, especially music. One thing hasn't changed since I started to dip my toes in the industry though - my favorite ad.

A British Original by Uncommon Creative Studio, London really moved me because it showed how a single line of copy could portray so many emotions related to travel. I've traveled my whole life as my father works internationally, so I genuinely admired how Uncommon was able to remind us travel isn't just simply for business or leisure, but something deeper than that.

You were born in Korea, grew up in California and studied in Texas, which you claim made you a '3rd culture kid.' What do you mean by this? Do you think this influenced the kind of work you have gravitated towards now?

TCK or 'Third culture kid' refers to a person raised in a culture outside of their parents' passport culture for a significant part of their childhood. In my case, I was raised in both the US and Korea during my early development stages, so in a sense it kind of made me the person I am today.

I definitely think this influences the kind of work I gravitate towards because I'm so passionate about showing people how different cultures think, act, and live. Before I came to the States, I didn't know how car dependent this country was. Now I'm a pro driver! In Korea, I had a hard time adjusting because I was too "Americanized", as I grew up listening to Beyonce and Brittany Spears, not BTS.

At the end of the day, people aren't able to understand each other because everyone is different and I think that's where media and communication comes in. That's one of the reasons and probably the main reason why I'm so passionate about doing the work I do right now, because it gives me a chance to help create the bridge between the two countries that I'm so intertwined with, especially through mediums I understand well (blogs, snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, etc...).

I think media gives people the 'third space' to connect, regardless of which country you are physically located in.

What’s the biggest creative challenge and/or accomplishment in your career to date?

I think the biggest creative challenge I had was when I was working on a brief for Walt Disney World and the 4As. The target audience was Hispanic families, something that I personally haven't experienced or been part of before. Of course we started with research, articles, social listening, the whole 9 yards but every person had a different opinion about so many topics, it was hard to figure out what was actually relatable to the target audience.

My art director partner at the time was also Korean, so we decided to call my Mexican college friends and ask for their experience. But we soon learned that because they were childless and in their early 20s, they didn't really know much about creating budgets for family trips and handling kids!

I wanted to give up and just go with the insight that our team had already chose, but I felt something was still off and unsure. I eventually went into the office and started interviewing every Hispanic colleague I could find at the agency during happy hour. I asked them a bunch of questions on how they grew up, what Disney was like for them, what their parents thought of amusement parks and what was 'fun'.

I stared at that page all day and finally came to an insight that was able to resonate with the people I had talked to, which was that a lot of people grew up with Disney being a 'concept' or something that they interact with passively. Walt Disney World is an amusement park, related to action and movement, but growing up listening to Disney and reading books means a lot of folks don't really see Disney as something that they 'do' or interact with physically.

In the end, I think being able to put yourself in other people's shoes is one thing, but actually reaching out to people and getting to know the whole picture and culture is another. As a copywriter, ideating and research takes forever, but I think it's important to have the courage to start from scratch when you feel like you need to.

What most excites you about working in your industry?

This might be an obvious answer, but being able to see how we'll be able to communicate with people in different ways. When I grew up, it was emails, international calls, and glitchy internet. Especially being on a major tech account makes me realize how technology can create so many ways to connect with people. I know AI and advanced technology is scaring a lot of people, but in a way I feel like it helps people feel like they aren't alone and so different. Growing up 'different' made me feel like I never belonged anywhere, and I still feel that way to this day. But as we bring different forms of advertising to different audiences, I think the industry has the power to help people feel seen and heard through different brand campaigns.

You have a particularly humorous approach to your website and social media posts, which is quite unique for young advertising professionals. Is humor an important part of your professional work life?

Humor is honestly a part of my coping mechanism haha. I tend to feel things deeply a lot, as do a lot of creatives and when I get too deep into it, it reminds me that sometimes things aren't that serious! I guess I've never thought about me using it for work because I'm not able to get on 'humor forward' clients that often, but looking back I think it definitely plays a part when I'm writing copy.

Sometimes you're overwhelmed with all the information you have to say and technical details that you end up writing stuff that's as stiff as a paddle board. Or you research so much that you kind of get lost in perfectionism. Reminding myself that even though I take work seriously, my work doesn't have to be serious and I think that's how you go from 'I have nothing' to ideas clients and consumers like. It also reminds me that people aren't so different sometimes. A lot of people mention generational differences, but there are so many similarities as well. I mean, my grandpa and I laugh at the same jokes and feel similar things!

You have 7K followers on LinkedIn and noted you get 4 million views on your social media posts. What is your goal with building out your social media reach?

I actually have 3 different social media channels I run that reach millions of views sometimes but I think it's a bit different since they are my personal channels and there's no client behind them. However, I do feel like just running them from A to Z on my own teaches me how trends are created, what people like to see, what's the newest features, etc... that I can use when ideating for social ideas as a copywriter.

For me, I'd like to grow my account so I can see things from an influencer perspective as well, especially when we need to choose who to collab with or what kind of content to create on social media. I think what I do is the macro part of social media - ideating, writing for tone of voice, and creating content is the micro part, so I do actually want to try to incorporate things I've learned as a copywriter and vice versa.

Everyone needs time out. What do you do in your spare time to help re-energize your creative side?

I'm an extrovert so I love to talk to other people, including friends who work in completely different fields and my 83 year old grandpa who is my best friend. I like to cook and get a cute little drink at cafes and bars or watch movies and TV shows, as does any person I guess haha. Oh, and I'm also chronically online scrolling on social media. But I have no scientific evidence to show that it re-energizes my creative side, LOL!

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

I would say to have more confidence. As many people know, sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want and so do campaigns. Your ideas get killed, reworked, pushed back a million times and I used to get super insecure and want to give up all the time. I tried to focus on things I could control and study harder, talk to more people, try more briefs. I definitely think that is one of the things that makes you a great creative, but even defining what a 'perfect copywriter' is or a 'perfect ad' is subjective. I'd tell myself that just because I'm young doesn't mean that I know any less, and that sometimes you need to believe in yourself before anyone else will.

There is a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it will shape future creativity? What are your thoughts on the future of being a professional creative in a possibly AI-driven world?

I feel like every conversation in our field leads to this and honestly I really can't stand the apocalypse of AI generated ads where they bullet point every information possible and make it hard to read with bad design. It's not even about creativity at that point, because we're still all human at the end of the day, and nobody's going to read a whole essay on Linkedin while they're already overstimulated with short attention spans - even if you put a bajillion emojis. But at the same time, AI is helping creatives envision vague concepts into actual visuals and finding more ways to research and write.

As I mentioned before, I think AI has the power to reach the right audience at the right time, connecting to more people in different ways. I think it's too early to speak on what AI can be as a creative as I know it's developing even more.

But one thing AI doesn't have is taste, opinions, and feelings. Okay, that's actually 3 things!

I don't know if you've asked AI for perfume recommendations or outfit choices, but it's actually horrible. It doesn't have taste, which is something personal. If I liked vanilla ice cream but it recommended me chocolate, I wouldn't like it. I would need to figure out for myself that I like vanilla ice cream and tell AI that. It could help me figure out if I like vanilla or not, but I would need to taste it for myself to see if I actually like it or not. Maybe I like vanilla but only if it's on a cone not a cup, who knows. Same with feelings. I'm sure any parent would jump into the ocean to save their child but to AI, that would seem illogical and I'm pretty sure unless you program it to, it wouldn't recommend it. For AI, the consequences wouldn't affect it because it doesn't have feelings and responsibilities. For the parent, their whole lives would change.

What are your goals in the next five years? Where do you hope to be professionally?

I hope to be a creative director as does any copywriter, but my goal right now is to just learn as much as I can from other people and experience different work. I've worked at small agencies, big agencies, mid-size agencies, and I'm still trying to navigate what I value as a young professional. I love the work that I do right now, but my goals are to work on different brands of different sizes and connect people one headline at a time.

How can others see more of your work or connect with you?

Linkedin is the fastest way to reach me and my random thoughts, but my website is www.xoxojiwon.com and my email is also always open!

The One Club Partners with CultureCon as Part of “Career Essentials” WAATBP 2026 Event

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:58:38 +0000

In light of the challenging job market for entry level talent, The One Club for Creativity announces a shift in its long-running WAATBP career fair to focus exclusively on direct career support, and a new partnership with this year’s CultureCon, the largest annual festival for creative professionals, entrepreneurs, creators, and influencers who are building fulfilling careers, lifestyles, and culture.

This year’s two-day WAATBP event kicks off on October 2, 2026 across two floors at The One Club headquarters at 450 West 31st St in New York.

The jobs-focused “Career Essentials” format includes in-person portfolio reviews, “Ask HR Anything” recruiter meetings where attendees can have frank discussions and get actionable advice on interviewing, and networking opportunities, all designed to deliver direct value to young creatives.

“One Big Idea” creative brief competition

On October 3, 2026, the action shifts to the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Duggal Greenhouse stage of CultureCon, where WAATBP will hold the “One Big Idea” creative brief competition. The competition is open now for public entry, with the top three finalists advancing to a live finale to present their ideas and the chance to win a $5,000 cash prize.

Top industry creatives judging the “One Big Idea” brief presentations will be Pum Lefebure, The One Club for Creativity Board Chairperson and Co-founder, CCO at Design Army, and fellow Board members Jimmy Smith, Chairman, CEO, and CCO at Amusement Park Entertainment, and John 'JP' Petty III, Co-Founder, Managing Partner, 14th And Market. In addition, the CultureCon audience will serve as the fourth judge, letting their preference be known in real time.

After the three finalists pitch their brief idea live on stage, the winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize, as well as one-year membership to The One Club, mentor sessions with a One Club Board member, and the opportunity to help bring their winning idea to life.

In addition to adding an engaging element of creative competition to CultureCon, the brief will also drive awareness of The One Club's mission to support the global creative community, and the nonprofit organization’s deep career readiness expertise to the festival’s large audience.

To make WAATBP accessible to young creatives, tickets are priced at an affordable $15 for One Club members, $20 for non-members.

“This partnership is rooted in something we care about deeply, which is democratizing access," said Imani Ellis, CEO and Founder of CultureCon. "The One Club shares our belief that talent is everywhere, but the opportunities to cultivate that talent need to increase. We're excited to join forces to empower the next generation of creativity, and to make sure the doors that opened for us keep opening for them.”

"The One Club and CultureCon each bring something unique to the creative community,” added Adrienne Lucas, Director, Strategic Partnerships & Programs at The One Club. “We have spent decades investing in creative excellence and career development, while CultureCon has built one of the most influential platforms for creators and entrepreneurs. Through this partnership and the creative brief competition at its center, we're creating new pathways for talent to showcase their work, gain visibility, and connect with careers they may not have known were possible."

To make WAATBP accessible to young creatives, tickets are priced at an affordable $15 for One Club members, $20 for non-members.

Originally established as “Where Are All the Black People”, WAATBP has over the years broadened its mandate to become the leading annual gathering to address and correct the lack of diversity within the ad industry, bringing together all voices to celebrate successes, examine challenges, and take their place at the table alongside their allies.

WAATBP 2026 is made possible in part through the support of corporate partners Capital One, Ogilvy, and WiP, with others to come.

For more information and to register, please visit the WAATBP website.

The One Club Establishes Brand Hall of Fame and Names Apple as First Inductee

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:10:49 +0000

In recognition of 50 years of design, branding, and communications innovation and leadership, Apple has been selected as the first brand to be inducted into The One Club for Creativity's newly established Brand Hall of Fame, part of the prestigious global Creative Hall of Fame.

Formed in 1961, the Creative Hall of Fame has a rich heritage of honoring the lifetime achievements of creative luminaries, including Walt Disney, Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Gordon Parks, Saul Bass, Paul Rand, George Lois, and others. This marks the first time a brand has been inducted.

“It’s an incredible honor for Apple to join the Creative Hall of Fame, because imagination is woven into everything we do. It drives how we innovate, how we design, and how we work every day to empower people everywhere to create their own extraordinary things," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We’re grateful to be recognized by an institution that has championed creative voices for so many generations.”

Apple has consistently delivered groundbreaking levels of creative excellence, working internally and with agencies Chiat/Day and TBWA\Media Arts Lab.

Among the brand’s most famous work is the iconic “1984” Super Bowl commercial to introduce the original Macintosh computer and “Think Different” campaign of the late 1990s, through to the early 2000s with “iPod Silhouettes and two dozen “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads as part of their “Get a Mac” campaign.

More recent work includes the globally celebrated “Shot on iPhone” campaign now in its 11th year, “Privacy, that’s iPhone” in its eighth year, Emmy-Winning holiday ads “Misunderstood" and "Fuzzy Feelings”, accessibility films “I Am the Greatest” and “I’m Not Remarkable”, and the iconic HomePod film "Welcome Home”.

The firm’s legacy of excellence in branding extends beyond just ads, with a consistent aesthetic that runs through the full spectrum of product design, packaging, and store design.

Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was inducted into the Creative Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition, Apple and TBWA\Media Arts Labs are two-time recipients – in 2017 and 2026 – of The One Show’s prestigious Penta Pencil award, honoring the agency and brand who together have created outstanding creative work for the previous five years.

The One Club established the new Brand Hall of Fame to recognize brands with longstanding records of commitment to creative excellence, bold ideas, and contribution to culture.

Every two years as the nomination cycle begins, the club will evaluate the more than 100-year archive of winners in its global One Show and Art Directors Club ADC Annual Awards programs to identify a shortlist of brands that have consistently been recognized as high archivers. The shortlist is then voted on by the organization’s National and International Board of Directors.

“The Brand Hall of Fame was created to recognize the rare brands that have made creativity fundamental to who they are and, in doing so, have helped move our industry and culture forward,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO at The One Club. “For more than 50 years, Apple has set an extraordinary standard for design, innovation and creative communication, with work that has been consistently recognized across The One Club’s awards. That remarkable legacy makes Apple a natural and fitting first inductee into the Brand Hall of Fame.”

This year’s Creative Hall of Fame black-tie gala induction ceremony, which serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit One Club for Creativity, will take place on September 16, 2026 at Capitale New York.

In addition to Apple, this year’s illustrious inductees are as follows.

Creative Hall of Fame

Rosie Arnold, one of the most awarded art directors in British advertising history, spent more than three decades shaping iconic work at BBH for Levi’s and others.
Janet Champ, Wieden+Kennedy copywriter behind Nike’s groundbreaking “If You Let Me Play” campaign, transformed how brands communicate with women through work rooted in truth, empathy, and cultural impact.
John C Jay, a visionary creative leader whose influence spans retail, advertising, fashion, and culture, helped shape brands including Nike and Uniqlo while pioneering a new model of culturally driven creativity.
Caroline R. Jones, formerly of J. Walter Thompson, BBDO, Caroline Jones Advertising, Zebra Associates, and Mingo-Jones, trailblazing copywriter, the first black female vice-president at a major agency.
Joyce King Thomas, the creative force behind McCann’s iconic “Priceless” campaign for Mastercard, helped redefine emotional storytelling in advertising while becoming one of the industry’s most respected creative leaders and mentors.
Piyush Pandey, widely regarded as the father of modern Indian advertising at Ogilvy, transformed the industry by bringing the language, humor, and humanity of everyday India into the heart of brand storytelling.

Educators Hall of Fame

Michael Conrad, former Global CCO at Leo Burnett Worldwide and co-founder of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, helped shape generations of creative leaders while elevating standards across the global advertising industry.

Criteria for being considered is three-fold:

Impact — Those who have a celebrated body of work. This includes work that has been recognized as the best in the industry over multiple years for multiple brands, can be considered truly innovative and original in thinking and execution, and has an undeniable lasting impact.
Influence — Those who have used their creativity and leveraged their resources to advance the industry and serve the greater good.
Inspiration — Those who have had a measurable, positive effect on the next generation of creative leaders, and are known industry-wide as mentors, door-openers, and opportunity-creators.

Since The One Club for Creativity is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, individual ticket purchases above $250 and table ticket purchases above $2500 are considered charitable donation. Sponsorship options are available for those unable to attend the ceremony but wishing to support and celebrate the inductees.

ABOUT THE ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, the global Art Directors Club ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, Type Directors Club TDC competition and scholarships, ADC Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Creator Lab, WAATBP Essentials career fair, Portfolio Night, Creative Week, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programs that support industry access, creative education, professional development, and enhancement of creative careers around the world.

‘Fuelled by Silence’ Film Aims to Help 18-year-old Deaf Racing Champion McDuff Find New Sponsors

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:35:52 +0000

Disability turns into a competitive advantage for an 18-year-old Welsh racing driver in a new film from TheGardening.Club and Hijinks, created through its Positivity Through Creativity programme.

Caleb McDuff, who was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in early childhood, is aiming to secure new brand sponsorships through the campaign, ‘Fuelled by Silence’.

Directed by Lee J Ford through The Gardening.Club, the 90-second film uses AI to transport McDuff and his car from familiar racing circuits to the remote reaches of the universe – a place that mimi
cs his deaf driving experience.

Narrated by McDuff, the film traces his journey from learning to drive as a child to competing professionally. We discover how, unable to use in-car radio systems available to other competitors, McDuff raced in silence and learned to harness it to his advantage.

Archive footage of McDuff’s childhood racing exploits is blended with AI-generated imagery that places him and his car driving on spectacular remote planets, places where silence reigns.

The film reveals that technology now enables him to communicate with his team during races, and we end with McDuff saying: “Now I am ready to prove to the world just how loud silence can be.”

Aged 16, McDuff became the first deaf racing driver to win a race in the Britcar Trophy Championship. Now McDuff needs to secure more sponsorship to ensure he reaches his goal of competing in the Porsche Carrera World Cup 2027.

Caleb McDuff said: “I never let being deaf stop me. This film tells my story and shows that when you believe in yourself, you can overcome any barrier. My message to everyone is to always follow your dreams. My message to potential sponsors is that I’m only just getting started.”

The campaign was developed through Hijinks’ Positivity Through Creativity programme, set up to serve pro bono clients. Work through the programme has also included campaigns for Women’s Aid, Legalitees and WeRepresent.

Tamryn Kerr, co-founder and chief creative officer at Hijinks, said: “The starting point wasn’t that Caleb succeeds despite the silence, but that the silence helped make him the driver he is. We wanted potential sponsors to see his extraordinary talent, focus and ambition, and understand just how far he has the potential to go”.

“AI allowed us to bring that idea to life on a scale that would never otherwise have been possible for a pro bono project. Used with imagination and purpose, it helped us give Caleb’s story the platform and breadth of recognition it deserves.”

Morgan Whitlock, Executive Producer at TheGardening.Club adds: “From the moment I met Caleb and his team I knew we’d do everything we could to support them. Everyone on this project has brought that same passion and commitment, it’s been a phenomenal process and that shows in the film the team have created. If it moves the needle for Caleb, it’ll have been worth every moment.”

The film breaks today on social, online video, press and Caleb McDuff Motorsport’s website, with plans for out-of-home and cinema activity in discussion.

Dave Bullen Joins The Social Lights as VP of Creative

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:04:33 +0000

The Social Lights, the woman-owned social-first agency, has named Dave Bullen VP of Creative. Bullen joins from MONO, the Minneapolis creative agency where he spent 16 years, most recently as group creative director.

Bullen has spent more than 20 years as an art director, leading award-winning work for Google, Apple, Harley-Davidson, Alfa Romeo, Target, Sherwin-Williams, PepsiCo, Capital One and the National Hockey League. Before MONO, he held art direction roles at Olson and Carmichael Lynch. At The Social Lights, he will work across the agency’s entire client roster, helping brands sharpen their creative point of view and turn brand strategy into bigger social opportunities.

The hire reflects the sophistication of social. Social now demands the same brand rigor and creative craft as any other component of a marketing plan, said Stephanie Schafer, president and chief growth officer at The Social Lights.

“Dave's entire career has been built on getting to the truth of what makes a brand distinct and connecting people to brands in a way that breaks through the noise to build relevance with key audiences,” said Schafer. “It's easy to get swept up in trends and let an algorithm or an influencer speak for you rather than hold your own POV. Dave makes sure we’re helping our brands win in real-time without losing their long-term narrative and translating the principles of building great brands to the world of social. That’s the gap we built this leadership team to close.”

Bullen said the move marks a deliberate step outside his comfort zone — and a chance to put into practice the advice he's given clients for years.

“I’ve always told brands that if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same result, so stepping into something new felt important for me, too,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure to move fast because the world moves fast, especially on social. But speed and meaning don’t have to be at odds. My creative mantra has always been be brave or be dead, and the bravest thing a brand can do right now is slow down long enough to know exactly who it is in order to move forward.”

Bullen's arrival adds to a leadership bench The Social Lights has built to pair deep social expertise with senior brand and creative experience, as the agency takes on larger, more integrated briefs from its growing roster of clients.

ABOUT DAVE BULLEN

Dave Bullen is a classically trained art director with more than 20 years of experience inventing and reinventing some of the world's most iconic brands. He likes to create work that is strategically thoughtful, but also creatively impactful. He believes disruption and innovation are essential to a brand's success in today's competitive marketplace, and that creativity is one of the most powerful, yet underutilized, tools a brand has to reach its full potential. Bullen's brand experience includes Apple, Google, Firefox, Target, Harley-Davidson, Alfa Romeo, Bauer Hockey, Advance Auto Parts, Sherwin-Williams, PepsiCo, Capital One, BlueCross BlueShield, Fifth Third Bank, Honeywell, the National Hockey League, Macy’s, Wilson Sporting Goods, La Colombe Coffee, Heaven Hill Distillery, L'OR Coffee & Espresso.

ABOUT THE SOCIAL LIGHTS

The Social Lights is a fast-growing, woman-owned indie agency headquartered in Minneapolis that partners with global brands to decode culture and activate fandoms at the speed of social. The agency's services span content and social strategy, creative production, social media planning and buying, social care and engagement, measurement and optimization, creative technology, training, video production, and event marketing. The Social Lights' work has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 six times, along with repeat Shorty and Webby Award wins.

BBH London's ‘After Dark’ Creative Spot Sees the Audi e-tron Get Into Some Mischief

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:27:41 +0000

A new epic creative spot for Audi’s fully electric e-tron range celebrates quiet confidence as a powerful asset, steering the e-tron away from the category norms back to Audi’s core sporting DNA.

‘After Dark’ is a cinematic, mischievous spectacle that returns Audi to its ancestral home: the race track.

BBH London playfully draws on Audi’s decades of motorsport engineering to show how technologies born in the thrilling, high-octane world of motorsport, including instant acceleration, quattro precision handling and intelligent braking, have been tamed for the road.

Shot at the legendary Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, where Audi is the official car partner, the 90 second slot, directed by Elliott Power via Love Song, features four Audi e-tron models carrying out a coordinated mission.

Rather than driving like ordinary cars, they move with purpose and instinct, each expressing its own personality through choreography inspired by its unique strengths. They evade the security guard and dog as well as skilfully avoiding the mechanic at work.

By the end of the film, the cars have made their way to the Silverstone starting grid, where we leave them ready for the real fun to start. Proof that the e-tron range captures Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik DNA of pushing the boundaries of performance.

Tony Moore, Head of Marketing at Audi UK, said: “The Audi e-tron range combines advanced electric performance with the engineering heritage and innovation Audi is celebrated for. Vorsprung durch Technik has always been about using the craft of design and engineering to move people, and today that philosophy is embodied in our electric vehicles. This campaign captures that beautifully, showing that our e-tron range is every bit as exhilarating, capable and innovative.”

To underline Audi’s heritage in the motorsport space, the film also features a cameo appearance by the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, a hybrid model, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years running from 2012 to 2014, a clear reminder of how far back Audi has been innovating in the EV space.

The 90-second hero film will launch during the first ad break of the opening match of the 26/27 Premier League, when Arsenal play Coventry City at 20:00 BST. It’s supported by TV, cinema, video-on-demand, social and digital activity. Individual films and cut-downs will highlight the distinct character of each e-tron model. The campaign will run across the UK throughout 2026 and 2027.

CREDITS

Campaign title: ‘After Dark’

Client: Audi UK

Head of Marketing: Tony Moore

Head of Brand & Performance Marketing: Kristy Venables

Brand Marketing Manager: Laura Brennan

Performance Marketing Manager: Ed Courtenay

Brand Communications Manager: Lauren King

Advertising agency: BBH London

Global Chief Creative Officer: Alex Grieve

Chief Creative Officer, London & Dublin: Felipe Serradourada Guimarães Creative Director: Uche Ezugwu

Associate Creative Director: Charlie Pendarves

Creative: George Robb

Designers: Rebeka Fodor and James Bush

Chief Strategy Officer: Will Lion

Strategy Director: Will Hawkins

Senior Strategist: Christina Shutti

Client Managing Director: Bobbie Gannon

Business Lead: Philip Mattinson

Account Director: Georgia Rayner

Account Manager: Katie Headley

Agency Film Producers: David Lynch, Georgina Kent and Rory Reames

Media agency: PHD

Client partner at PHD: Scott Boyes

Media planners: Dominic Maddison, Hannah Loe.

Production company: Love Song

Director: Elliot Power

MD UK: Shirley O’Connor

Producer: Ellie Fry

Production Manager: Harriet Staples

1st Assistant Director: Chris Mears

DOP: Harry Wheeler

2nd Unit Director (no prep): Ruda Santos 2nd Unit DOP: Ilya Maksymenk

Production Designer: Arthur De Borman

Edit house: Marsheen

Editor: Dave Davis

Edit Producers: Harriet Cawley and Pia Ebrill

Post-production company: Stray

Creative Director: Carl Norton

2D Lead: Giacomo Verri

Executive Producer: Clare Melia

VFX Producer: Jack Williams

Grade: Electric Theatre Collective

Colourist: Jason Wallis

Colour Producer: Alex Carswell

Audio post-production: String and Tins Sound Design and Mix: Will Cohen and Kaspar Broyd Car Location Record: Kaspar Broyd and Adam Hare Audio Producers: Claire Toms and Eimear Ní Ghuaire

D&AD's 2026 AI & Creativity Report Highlights the Cost of Taking the Shortcut

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:33:11 +0000

D&AD, the global creative non-profit championing excellence in design and commercial creativity, today launched The D&AD AI & Creativity Report 2026: The Cost of the Shortcut, a global study which found that what separates great creative work from average work isn't the technology – it's human judgement. This report was sponsored by Shutterstock Studios.

AI has made creative work faster and cheaper, but if you treat it as a shortcut, you just get average output. The real value – and the D&AD Awards data backs this up – comes from skilled human judgement using AI to sharpen human craft, not replace it.

But that judgement has to come from somewhere, and right now the industry is cutting off its own supply. The entry-level jobs where people learn to build judgement are disappearing. The fix isn't to protect those jobs as they are – it's to redesign them, so they still teach the judgement the industry depends on.

Drawing on 197 in-depth conversations with global creative leaders from 30 countries, alongside an analysis of over 10,000 D&AD Award entries, the global benchmark for creative excellence, the report identifies six areas where leaders can actively choose to build a stronger, more intentional industry.

The Work was the Training. How do we protect the future of our craft?
While entry-level jobs are disappearing, AI is simultaneously absorbing the remaining repetitive tasks. Together, this is eliminating the training ground that builds the judgement required for future creative leaders.

The Tool Raises the Floor, Human Judgement Sets the Ceiling
The proportion of D&AD Award entries declaring the use of AI more than doubled year-on-year, reaching 27.6% in 2026. Generative AI was used in 56.2% of AI-declaring entries overall, compared with 44.7% of AI-declaring Pencil winners, alongside a proportional rise in assistive AI among winners. The data suggests that while AI is increasingly part of the creative process, its use alone does not translate into creative excellence. At the highest levels, human judgement, originality and craft remain critical. AI is neither a shortcut to excellence nor a prerequisite for it.

The report also highlights that AI can drive the most impactful results when working invisibly beneath the idea. Projects like ‘Caption with Intention’ and ‘PainVisible’ prove that using AI to drive inclusivity and precision can push creative boundaries in ways that would be otherwise difficult to scale.

Six Reckonings Reshaping the Industry

The D&AD AI & Creativity Report 2026 identifies six critical reckonings facing every creative organisation. Together, they define the choices that will determine whether AI becomes a shortcut to average work or a catalyst for creative excellence.

Among its findings:

Originality: Left alone, AI trends towards the average. Award-winning work emerged where specialist AI tools were paired with discerning human judgement and craft.
Talent: As repetitive tasks disappear, organisations face a defining choice: use AI to replace learning opportunities or redesign junior roles around critique, taste and cultural awareness.
Leadership: Creative excellence cannot be delegated to AI. The organisations pulling ahead are those whose leaders are actively shaping how AI is adopted, governed and used.

"AI has changed what bad work looks like," said David Patton, CEO of D&AD. "It's no longer lazy or derivative in any obvious way – it's competent, polished, and generic, and it's the default output for anyone, anywhere. The real problem sits one step earlier: how do you train someone to tell competent from excellent, when competent is now the easy default everywhere they look? This report isn't just a diagnostic of risk. It's D&AD planting a flag – not for the tools, or against them, but for the human judgement they can't replace."

The D&AD AI & Creativity Report 2026: The Cost of the Shortcut, concludes that AI is not determining the future of creative excellence. Rather, the choices organisations make about how they use it are. The report sets out the decisions that will separate those who simply produce work faster from those who continue to produce work that matters.

The report was assembled and edited by D&AD and Ben Cooper, BRAINSTRUST, who also led the 2025 report.

Download the report here: https://www.dandad.org/insights/learning/ai-report-2026

ABOUT D&AD

D&AD is a global creativity non-profit that celebrates, stimulates and enables excellence in design and commercial creativity. Through its world-renowned Awards and education programmes, D&AD aims to generate funding to champion the next generation of creative talent to drive positive change in the industry and beyond. The global steward of creative excellence in commercial creativity. For more, visit: dandad.org

ABOUT SHUTTERSTOCK STUDIOS

Shutterstock Studios is a global content engine—part production company, part innovation lab. Led by expert producers and creatives and powered by Shutterstock’s technology ecosystem, we are uniquely built on the AI infrastructure behind many of the industry’s leading models and grounded in one of the world’s largest licensed content libraries. We design custom workflows that accelerate ideation, streamline production, and unlock new creative possibilities across stills, video, 3D, animation, and emerging formats. From concept to delivery, Shutterstock Studios brings human creativity and responsible AI together to produce high-impact, on-brand content at the speed today’s marketing landscape demands. Learn more at https://studios.shutterstock.com/.

Liquid Death and goodwipes Launch Limited-Edition Flushable Wipes

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:53:32 +0000

Liquid Death turned healthy beverages into a cultural movement. goodwipes has spent more than a decade modernizing the most overlooked room in the house with its mission of revolutionizing the restroom routine.

Now, the brands are joining forces to bring that same energy to the bathroom by launching one of the most unexpected brand collaborations of the summer: a limited-edition pack of flushable wipes, inspired by Liquid Death's sCREAM Soda.

Negotiated by partnership agency SonderCo, the collaboration goes beyond a licensing deal, with the brands reformulating goodwipes' signature product, infusing the flushable wipes with Liquid Death's Mountain Water and sCREAM Soda scent, along with goodwipes' gentle, skin-loving ingredients like aloe and vitamin E, to bring Liquid Death's signature edge to the beauty-and-booty-care world.

Both brands have built loyal followings by bringing personality, innovation, and premium experiences to categories that traditionally lack all three. Rooted in a shared "Death to Dry" philosophy—whether that's dry mouths, dry wiping, or dry standards—the partnership extends Liquid Death and goodwipes' approach into personal care by creating a product fans can actually use.

“We believe hydration shouldn't stop at your mouth. Combining goodwipes premium wipes with our 100% real Mountain Water and the scent of one of our most popular soda-flavor sparkling waters should make anyone feel #1 at #2, whether you have a live-in Buttler or not,” said Andy Pearson, Liquid Death VP of Creative.

The partnership comes to life through "The Buttler Sweepstakes," giving one lucky consumer the chance to win their own butt-wiping VIP service: a fully trained, live-in Buttler who will personally wipe their butt using Liquid Death x goodwipes sCREAM Soda wipes.

The Sweepstakes launches alongside a brand film going live across Liquid Death and goodwipes' social channels on August 11. Featuring a tuxedo-clad “Buttler” who does nothing but wipe your butt, the comedic spot was co-ideated by both brands and produced in-house by Liquid Death, produced in the style of an SNL Happy Fun Ball parody, sending up the over-the-top infomercials of the category it's spoofing. The competition will run through August 31 (goodwipes.com/buttler).

Meredith Diehn, SVP Marketing at goodwipes, concludes, “Consumers deserve better than dry, outdated experiences. From what you drink to how you wipe, the standard has always been too low, so we’ve joined forces with a brand who shares our ambition to disrupt the status quo, to help people truly upgrade their restroom routine. Made with real Liquid Death Mountain Water, aloe, and vitamin E, these wipes bring premium ingredients and a skincare-inspired approach to one of the most overlooked categories in personal care. This collab was always destined to happen—it just needed the right excuse, the right product, and one exceptionally classy 'Buttler.’”

The limited-edition wipes launch exclusively in more than 4,000 Walmart stores nationwide on August 10 and will be available through January 2027.

CREDITS

LIQUID DEATH + DEATH MACHINE:

Founder/CEO: Mike Cessario

SVP Marketing: Dan Murphy

VP of Creative: Andy Pearson

VP of Marketing: Greg Fass

VP of Design: Frank Dresmé

VP of Apparel & Merch: Misha Brunelli

Creative Director: Will Carsola

Associate Creative Director: Stu Golley

Senior Nihilist: Brendan Kelly

Brand Manager: Jeanne Irwin

Senior Graphic Designer: Kellen Breen

Wholesale Director Merch: Christopher Cargnoni

Executive Producer: Zoë Andrikidis

Producer: Rylee Brown

Director: Andy Pearson

Director of Photography: Tom Banks

1st AD: Julian Metter

Gaffer: Brandon Alperin

Key Grip: Steve Dorman

Production Designer: Nu California

Editor: Tyler Beasley

VFX: Yellow Sweater

Sound Mix: Tyler Beasley

Color: Bryan Smaller @ Company 3

GOODWIPES:

SVP Marketing: Meredith Diehn

Creative Director: Maria Guilbault

Creative Strategist: Frank Cartagena

TIRTIR and JvM HANGANG Make K-Beauty Concert-Proof at BTS THE CITY ARIRANG – NEW YORK

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Global Korean makeup brand TIRTIR, together with Jung von Matt HANGANG, brought the TIRTIR CONCERT-PROOF BAR to BTS THE CITY ARIRANG – NEW YORK.

The experience was part of ARMY ‘MADANG’ at the Korean Cultural Center New York, a dedicated fan space bringing together BTS-inspired experiences, cultural programming and brand activations. TIRTIR participated as the official K-beauty brand.

The activation was built around a simple observation: for fans, a concert is not a two-hour event. It is an all-day ritual shaped by queues, summer heat, movement, cameras and countless moments shared in real time. Instead of treating that attention as borrowed reach, TIRTIR set out to become useful in the moment, helping fans prepare, discover products and maintain their look throughout the concert-day experience.

From fan attention to fan utility

At the CONCERT-PROOF BAR, visitors could explore and try TIRTIR products selected for long, high-energy days, including the limited-edition BTS THE CITY New York Perfect Setting Duo, sun care and lip products. Guests also received exclusive first access to an upcoming TIRTIR cushion foundation and venue-only benefits.

The limited-edition duo combined TIRTIR's Reflect Glow Prep Primer and Mask Fit Makeup Fixer with the BTS THE CITY Arirang Pouch. Inspired by the traditional Korean bokjumeoni, or lucky pouch, the design connected a contemporary global fan experience with a recognisable element of Korean culture.

Sunyoung Erika Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, TIRTIR states, “Global growth is not simply about putting K-beauty on more shelves. It is about becoming relevant in the moments people care about. We turned a genuine concert-day need into an experience fans could try, share and take with them, connecting product performance, Korean cultural detail and commerce in one place.”

From experience to commerce

The physical experience was designed as part of a connected purchase journey. Fans could buy the limited-edition set through Weverse, collect pre-purchased products at the event and access QR-based purchasing on site. The model brought product trial, exclusive access, pickup and purchase into one continuous experience, reducing the distance between cultural attention and commercial action.

The activation followed TIRTIR's participation in BTS THE CITY – BUSAN and extended the brand's growing US presence with a locally relevant experience in New York. Rather than repeating a conventional pop-up formula, the idea was shaped around the behaviour and conditions of this specific audience and occasion.

“Cultural relevance begins with behaviour, not iconography. We looked at what fans actually go through on concert day and built the brand around that truth. The result connects culture, product and commerce without forcing any of them.” added Bill Yom, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt HANGANG

From Seoul insight to global brand growth

The project reflects JvM HANGANG's role as a cultural bridge between Korea and global markets. The agency's approach is not based on using K-culture as decoration, but on understanding the behaviours around it well enough to create a credible role for brands. For TIRTIR, that means moving beyond visibility alone and turning product relevance into experience, participation and sales.

Young & Laramore Names Chris Holland Its First Director of Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:50:11 +0000

Young & Laramore (Y&L) today announced that Chris Holland has joined the independent creative agency as its first Director of Growth. Reporting directly to President & CEO Tom Denari, Holland will lead the agency’s business development strategy and help translate Y&L’s creative and strategic reputation into sustained growth.

In the newly created role, Holland will oversee Y&L’s full growth ecosystem, including lead generation and prospecting, agency marketing and public relations, relationship development and pitch management. He will focus on identifying and building relationships with ambitious brands looking for a refresh or a new perspective.

“We’ve built a national reputation from Indianapolis by consistently delivering engaging, smart creative, built through a deep understanding of consumer behavior. The opportunity now is to bring that story to more brands, and that requires someone focused entirely on growth,” said Tom Denari, President & CEO of Young & Laramore. “Chris brings national brand experience, a natural ability to build relationships and he understands what makes Y&L distinctive.”

Holland began his advertising career at The Odyssey, an Indiana University-based media startup, where he eventually became head of client services in the company’s New York office. There, he led campaigns for brands including Red Bull Media House, Paramount, Starbucks, Verizon, PepsiCo, Bumble and KIND while helping the company grow to more than 174 employees and a network of over 10,000 contributors. Most recently, Holland worked at GSD&M in Austin, where he helped lead experiential and digital marketing for the United States Air Force and Space Force.

"For decades, Y&L has quietly built a reputation as one of the country's most respected independent agencies; building brands, launching categories, and delivering work that rivals firms many times its size," said Holland. "My role is to help more marketers discover what clients have always known: Y&L brings the strategic depth, creative work, and partnership of a world-class agency without the layers and limitations that often come with larger holding-company networks."

Holland joins Y&L as the agency builds on a reputation for helping brands find distinctive positions and turn them into long-term growth. Its work includes transforming Delta Faucet’s premium line into Brizo, a luxury lifestyle brand as well as recent campaigns featuring Caitlin Clark for Gainbridge, world No. 1 pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters for Paddletek, and culturally driven collaborations for Dum Dums.

ABOUT YOUNG & LARAMORE

Young & Laramore (Y&L) is an award-winning independent creative agency based in Indianapolis, known for its work across brand strategy, design, advertising, marketing and media. Located in a restored 19th-century schoolhouse, Y&L reflects its building—identifying first and foremost as students of the consumer. Proudly independent, Y&L answers to no one but its clients and its own compass. The agency believes the ideal creative partnership is just that: a true partnership. Y&L works with brands including Brizo, Cummins, DEWALT, Dum Dums, Bit-O-Honey, Rust-Oleum and Goodwill.

Y&L is also the creator of UNREASONABLE: A Modern Look at Consumer Motivations, its annual consumer behavior conference which explores the emotional, psychological and social forces that shape consumer decision-making. This year’s event will take place September 30th in Indianapolis.

For tickets, click here.

In-House Creative Explored at 2026 BRAND-SIDE Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:49:00 +0000

The unique opportunities and challenges faced by in-house teams is the focus of The One Club for Creativity’s upcoming BRAND-SIDE 2026 conference, taking place September 30-October 1 at the Hyatt Centric in downtown Nashville.

The two-day conference features sessions for both experienced in-house leaders and those new to working at a brand. The event focuses on the inner dynamics of best-in-class in-house creative departments, and provides an inside look at the tactics and cultures of the teams that build, maintain, and grow a brand’s presence in the market.

Among the confirmed speakers to date at this year’s BRAND-SIDE are:

Joanna Berliner, Head of Creative, Wayfair Studio, Wayfair
Taylor Erin, ECD, Instacart
Alyssa Georg, ECD, Head of Creative Integration, Expedia Group
Sophie Gold, Founder, Eleanor
Rikki Heinecke, Director of Production, Sturdy.
Ravid Kuperberg, Partner, Trainer, Mindscapes
John Long, ECD, Digitas
Jean Morrow, Group Creative Director, Coinbase
Nico Poalillo, Director of Development, Sturdy.
Jay Russell, CCO, EVP, GSD&M
Otis Stroud, II, Brand Creative, US Card, Capital One
Matt Watson, CCO, Sips & Bites & Pepsi EU

Sessions will cover topics such as how to establish a strong in-house creative culture, the best ways to steward a brand internally and also work seamlessly with external agency partners, and more. The overarching focus of the conference is on inspiration, connections, and practical applications to improve in-house creative teams and their output.

Registration for BRAND-SIDE 2026 is now open. The One Club members receive a $200 discount.

More information and registration is available on the BRAND-SIDE 2026 website.

ABOUT THE ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, ONE Asia Creative Awards, Type Directors Club TDC competition and scholarships, ADC Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Creator Lab, WAATBP Essentials career fair, Portfolio Night, Creative Week, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programs that support industry access, creative education, professional development, and enhancement of creative careers around the world.

DAVID New York Appoints Alvaro Soto as Executive Creative Director

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:22:56 +0000

Global creative agency DAVID today announced the addition of Alvaro Soto as Executive Creative Director in its New York office. Reporting to North America Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lobatón, Alvaro will help shape creative across the agency's North American client portfolio.

With more than 16 years of experience, Alvaro brings deep expertise in developing integrated campaigns for global and regional brands across North America and Latin America. He joins DAVID after more than five years at Grey New York, where he served as Global Group Creative Director on Corona and Budweiser, and previously led teams for Pringles, Modelo, and P&G in the U.S. market. Prior to Grey, he held roles at Anomaly New York and INNOCEAN Los Angeles after beginning his career at McCann Lima and TBWA Lima.

Known for turning simple human insights into culturally resonant ideas, Alvaro creates campaigns that blend craft, innovation and brand storytelling. Most recently, he led "Lime Guides" for Corona, transforming the brand's iconic lime ritual by using food-safe laser technology to etch cutting guides directly onto the fruit, ensuring the perfect wedge every time. He also helped take Corona Cero beyond the beach to the snowy slopes with "For Every Golden Moment," a global campaign for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

“Alvaro stepped into the office and immediately became essential to DAVID. From leading teams to get to better, sharper, more insightful work to taking some of our internal ways of working and identifying how to help us build an even faster rocket ship as it takes off. And it’s only been a week. Very excited for all the amazing work he will lead,” says Lobatón.

Other notable work includes “Widen the Screen” for P&G, a platform created to address representation and expand opportunities for Black filmmakers in the entertainment and advertising industries, as well as “Claustrobar” for Stella Artois, the iconic campaign that celebrates those who sacrifice their space to enjoy a cold Stella in a crowded bar. His work has earned recognition at the industry's most prestigious award shows, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Clio Awards, Effie Awards, The ANDYs, London International Awards, AICP Awards and The Webby Awards.

"I've admired DAVID's work for a long time, so joining the team is a special moment for me. I'm excited to collaborate with such talented people, build strong partnerships with our clients, and create work we're all proud of," says Alvaro.

Founded in September 2022, DAVID New York rapidly became one of the network's leading offices, fueling the agency's continued growth in the U.S. The office leads AOR relationships with brands including Supercell, IKEA U.S., and Kimberly-Clark, producing culturally driven work across gaming, CPG and entertainment.

Following its Grand Prix-winning "Copycats Welcome" campaign for Supercell's Clash Royale, DAVID New York was named Entertainment Agency of the Year at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the second consecutive year. The office earned six Lions in total — one Grand Prix, three Silver and two Bronze — for work that continues to redefine how brands connect with audiences through entertainment, gaming, and culture.

Cossette and Hostess Launch ‘Craze’ with a Record-Breaking Skydive

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Snack cake icon Hostess is officially launching Hostess Craze, a brand-new lineup featuring Brownie Popz, Xplosion Cakes, and Choco Layz. But instead of settling for standard grocery aisle real estate, the brand teamed up with Cossette to drop its new products from the sky: literally.

The Ultimate Lead of Taste

At the heart of the maximalist campaign is the return of G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Tasters), the brand’s notoriously outspoken puppet character. To match the intensity of the Craze lineup, Cossette skipped traditional advertising rules and built a high-suspense rollout mirroring a major movie premiere, complete with teasers, trailers, and a heavy dose of escalation.

The campaign peaks with a record-setting stunt: an attempt at the world's highest skydive ever completed by a goat puppet. It answers the burning question absolutely no one was asking: How far can a puppet fall?

Patrick Michaud, Vice-President, Executive Creative Director at Cossette notes, “We set out to create a spectacle, not just a campaign. By shifting our strategy from standard advertising to pure entertainment, we transformed a simple product drop into an inclusive, out-of-the-ordinary cultural moment that anyone can participate in.”

Snacking for the Content Generation

The campaign is built directly for a new generation of snackers who prioritize content over traditional corporate messaging.

“We saw an opportunity to launch Hostess Craze in a way that reflects how people actually engage with content today,” says Kelly Matthews, Brand Manager, Bimbo Canada. “This isn't just a product announcement; it's cultural currency. It’s loud, it's unexpected, and it gives people something to tune in.”

The campaign runs from July 6 to September 13 across web, OOH, digital, and social platforms.

CREDITS:

Advertiser: Hostess Canada (Bimbo)

Mike Bascom, Bernardo Caupers, Kelly Matthews

Agency: Cossette

Creative: Patrick Michaud, Jocelyn Goyer, Andrew Lord
Strategy: Robyn Hutman, Solenn Desjardins-Kaci
Account Management: Mélodie Desrochers Ndlela, Mélanie Desjardins
Broadcast/Electronic Production: Laurence Houle
Print / Digital Production: Martin Lemay
Language Services / Translation: Carol-Ann Savick, Chelsey Lam, France Auger

Agency Production: Septième
Media Agency: PHD
Production House: Carton Rouge

Director: Didier Charette

Post-Production: Post 430
Audio Studio: LaMajeure

Expedia Partners With Voyager for “See Yourself in Canada” Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:19:11 +0000

Expedia has partnered with Voyager for the latest installment of its “See Yourself in Canada” campaign, a co-branded travel series with Destination Canada that invites travelers to discover the country's diverse landscapes through character-driven stories.

Directed by Voyager’s Charles Frank and edited by Leap Year’s Nico Frank, the latest chapter features four films: one highlighting Destination Canada, and three celebrating New Brunswick, Kelowna in British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island. Each spot follows two women as they explore each region while playing a guessing game. As they take in vineyards, mountains, lakes, coastlines, and local landmarks, a series of playful questions gradually builds to the answer, ending in Expedia’s invitation to “See Yourself in” each destination.

“It was an absolute dream to experience these beautiful Canadian destinations as both a tourist and a filmmaker,” shares director Charles Frank. “The final spots feel like a true extension of how we were all feeling on set: awestruck, silly and connected.”

CREDITS:

Client: Destination Canada

Agency: E Studio at Expedia

CDs: Chase Hilton, Garrett Combes

EP: Kat Thomas

Producer: Jason Pajor

Project Manager: Catherine Warner

Creative Partners Manager: Ines Gamarra

Production Co: Voyager

Director: Charles Frank

EP/Producer: Alissa Feldbau

HOP: Meliz Yilmaz

DP: Jeff Melanson

Post: Leap Year

Managing Director, EP: Kira MacKnight

Post Producer: Phil Minton

Editor: Nico Frank

Asst Editor: Xiaoxiao Chen

Music: Jeff Melanson

Mix: Calvin Pia @feltsound

Color: Jonnie Sirotek

VFX: Mission Control

Actimove Spotlights the Inner Strength Behind Living with Pain in new Publicis London Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:41:32 +0000

Publicis London has launched new work with Essity Medical’s Actimove, a brand specialising in braces, supports, tapes and bandages for musculoskeletal injuries and conditions.

Built around the new creative platform ‘Inner Strength Support’, the campaign challenges a category dominated by clinical demos and product claims. Instead of focusing on functionality alone, it shows the mental strength, effort and grit it takes to keep moving through pain.

At the heart of the campaign are two 30-second films that visualise hidden internal pains, showing what people living with acute and chronic pain are really pushing against in everyday life.

Directed by Quentin Deronzier, renowned for his music video work with artists including Drake, Doja Cat and The Weeknd, the films bring a more atmospheric, cinematic approach to the category. Blending live action with CGI, each film builds a world where movement comes with real weight. They dramatise the inner strength required to overcome resistance, using a darker and more distinct visual language.

Noël Bunting, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis London, states, “We challenged the codes of the category by making internal pain visible and giving it real weight and presence on screen. Every movement is pushed to its limit, every frame built to show what people are up against. When you see that, those everyday movements stop feeling small and start to feel like what they really are. Heroic acts of inner strength.”

In one film, a woman cycles through thick black tar. In another, a man climbs an endless staircase in a thunderstorm. Both are backlit against darkness, pushing forward into the light as resistance builds around them. Each pushes through extreme, relentless conditions before the scenes return to everyday life, revealing the resilience and inner strength it takes to live with pain.

By making resistance visible, the work reframes everyday movement, showing the effort behind what most people take for granted. The campaign shows how Actimove’s braces, supports, tapes and bandages help people continue doing the activities they enjoy, shifting the focus towards movement and momentum.

The campaign will run across social and online, rolling out first in Denmark from 1^st August, followed by Norway, Sweden and further around the globe, and was created by Publicis London, with Publicis Production supporting production across the films and stills.

Kathrin Matthée, Global Brand Communications Manager, Orthopedics at Essity Medical, concludes, “This campaign brings a sense of drama and emotion into a category that often feels purely functional. It reflects the resilience of acute and chronic pain sufferers to keep going. Actimove supports that strength in a practical way, giving people the confidence and stability to move through their pain and keep doing the things that matter to them.”

As integrated agency partner to global hygiene and health company Essity, Publicis London leads creative duties across brands including Actimove, JOBST Leukoplast and TORK.

CREDITS

Campaign Title: ‘Inner Strength Support’

Client: Essity Medical – Actimove

Global Brand Communications Manager: Kathrin Matthée

Creative agency: Publicis London

Chief Creative Officer: Noël Bunting

Creative Directors: Rhys Hughes, Barret Helander, Steve Paskin

Copywriter: George Orton

Art Director: Hugh Kendall

Designer: Oskah Manchip

Planners: Alex Mimoun, Adam McGlashan, Rosie Mahoney

Business Lead: Anna Crabtree

Account Team: Luke Cambridge, Tom Bryant, Claire Chislett, Sneha Bansal

Agency Producers: Donna Baker, Bea Icke

Production Company: Arts and Sciences

Director: Quentin Deronzier

Editor: Ed Cheesman, Final Cut

Producer: Kwok Yau

Post-Production Company: Daydreamer

Audio Post-Production: Publicis Production

Social Agency: One Green Bean

NÜTRL launches in Korea with an original music video starring SEVENTEEN's S.COUPS and MINGYU, created by GUT Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:09:39 +0000

The idea started with an untapped detail: the umlaut (Ü) in NÜTRL’s name. Reinterpreted as a smile, GUT Singapore transformed a simple typographic mark into NÜTRL’s defining visual signature, giving the global brand a warm, recognizable identity as it introduced itself to Korean consumers.

That smile scaled into NÜTRL’s brand platform for Korea, Smile Üp. More than a campaign line, it expressed the brand’s mission in the market: to bring a little lightness and a little more reason to smile to Koreans.

This came to life through an original music video featuring S.COUPS and MINGYU, where the artists don’t just endorse NÜTRL from the outside, but become part of the brand universe itself. By reimagining their hit single “For you” as “For Ü”, the music video introduces NÜTRL through music, entertainment and a vibrant visual universe inspired by the drink’s light and refreshing formulation and personality.

“For Ü” expands NÜTRL’s identity into a world filled with playful visual cues and recognizable Korean cultural references, giving the brand a distinctly Korean expression without losing the identity that travels with it globally. The result gives fans multiple ways to discover NÜTRL, combining functional product storytelling with entertainment people would choose to watch and share.

The music video sits at the heart of a social-first play, supported by out-of-home and on-ground activations, helping establish NÜTRL in one of Korea's fastest-growing and most competitive ready-to-drink categories.

Alongside the campaign, GUT Singapore led the redesign of NÜTRL's packaging for the Korean market, working with GUT Design to create a cohesive identity across every touchpoint.

“Korea is one of the most exciting and competitive ready-to-drink markets in the world, and we wanted to enter with impact. There was no better way to do that than collaborating with artists who genuinely shape the culture. Working with S.COUPS and MINGYU gave NÜTRL a level of cultural credibility and energy few launches ever get, positioning the brand right where music and culture meet.” said Alex Lambrecht, Marketing Vice President at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

"This launch was about much more than introducing a new drink," said Carlos Camacho, Chief Creative Officer at GUT Singapore. "The smile hidden in NÜTRL's own name gave us a way in, and music let us build a world people would choose to spend time in, rather than an ad they'd skip. Everything, down to turning “For you” into “For Ü”, came from that one idea."

The campaign marks another collaboration between GUT Singapore and leading Korean entertainment IPs and personalities, with past collaborations including Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars 2, Napoli Matfia, Moon Sang Hoon and more. Rather than announcing NÜTRL’s arrival with a conventional launch, the agency has applied its pop-culture-first instinct for a market entry, building a world fans across South Korea, Asia and beyond will choose to step into.

Art Directors Club Names Global Jury for ADC Young Guns 24

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:02:57 +0000

The global Art Directors Club, part of The One Club for Creativity, announced the more than 100 creative professionals from around the world who will serve on the jury for the global Young Guns 24 competition.

ADC Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creative professionals. The program is open to those ages 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, full-time or freelance. Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work.

A sampling of some of this year’s global jury by region, including past YG winners as indicated, is as follows:

APAC

Albert Chan, Founder, Lup, Jakarta
Sonam Gautam, Head of Creative, ULKA (A BBDO Group), Mumbai
Nikki Golez, Founder, CCO, Passionade Creative, Makati City
Young Huale, Art Director, By-Enjoy Design, Fujian
Chris Rowson, Head of Creative, Good Drinks Australia, Perth

Europe & UK

Marta Cerdà Alimbau, freelance designer, Barcelona (YG6)
Suvi Lähde, ECD, SEK, part of Grey, Helsinki
Roxana Nita, ECD, BBDO Bucharest
Hamish Shand, Founder, ECD, Boundless Brand Design, London
Paul Watmough-Halim, ECD, Co-founder, Hyperfocus, Berlin

Latin America

Julia Martinez Diana, Graphic & Type Designer, Antipixel Type Studio, Buenos Aires
Diego Guerhardt, ECD, Fbiz WPP, São Paulo
Fermín Guerrero, Type Designer, Art Director, Fuerte, Montevideo

Middle East & Africa

Elie Antaky, Associate Creative Director, Impact BBDO, Beirut
Oyindamola Fakile, Chief Creative Alchemist, Thwind, Lagos
Nhlanhla Ngcobo, Group ECD, VML Johannesburg, Randburg

US & Canada

Christopher Brand, VP, Creative Director, The Crown Publishing Group, New York (YG13)
Amy Crawford, VP, Creative Development, MassiveMusic, New York
Julien Hébert, Lead Designer, Principal, Montréal (YG17)
Sue Murphy, Senior Global Director of Design, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta
Joaquin Salim, Group Creative Director, Anomaly, New York (YG15)
Ellese Shell, Executive Producer, Cut+Run, New York
Kenesha Sneed, Creative Director, Head of Design, BUCK, Los Angeles
Siavosh Zabeti, Creative Director, Apple, Los Angeles (YG12)

The complete list of all ADC Young Guns 24 judges can be viewed here.

The online entry system is now open, with the reduced-fee regular deadline of August 27, 2026, and final deadline September 24, 2026. Winners will be announced in January 2027, with the YG24 awards ceremony and party slated for January 27, 2027 in New York.

The renowned competitions regularly attract entries from upwards of 45 countries, with more than half coming from outside the US.

All ADC Young Guns winners receive a unique version of the iconic ADC Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the YG website.

Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the YG network, a chance to be featured in YG events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from YG sponsors.

Past ADC Young Guns include rising stars who went on to become leaders in their chosen fields, including Oscar-winning film director duo DANIELS (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) (YG14), “Top Gun Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski (YG4); graphic designers James Victore (YG1), Stefan Sagmeister (YG1), Natasha Jen (YG4) and Jessica Walsh (YG8); artist/designer Rich Tu (YG8); ad creatives Rei Inamoto (YG4) and Menno Kluin (YG6); illustrators Christoph Niemann (YG2) and Deanne Cheuk (YG4); fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond (YG14); artist/filmmaker Calmatic (YG16); director/photographer India Sleem (YG17); typographers Alex Trochut (YG6) and Gemma O’Brien (YG13); animation artist Todd St. John (YG1), and others.

ADC Young Guns 24 branding and YG Cube trophy were created by Brooklyn-based independent illustrator and designer Chantal Jahchan, a winner in last year’s YG23 competition.

For more information and to enter, please visit the ADC Young Guns 24 website.

ABOUT THE ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, ONE Asia Creative Awards, Type Directors Club TDC competition and scholarships, ADC Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE School, ONE Creator Lab, Where Are All The Black People conference and career fair, Portfolio Night, Creative Week, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programs that support industry access, creative education, professional development, and enhancement of creative careers around the world.

NatureSweet and 270B Debut Lovable "Teamatoes" in "Taste All The Good" Campai

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:20:00 +0000

NatureSweet has debuted its charming crew of new brand mascots, the Teamatoes, to the world for the first time in "Taste All the Good," a new digital campaign that brings the brand's characters into a live-action environment.

Created by 270B, the creative agency awarded AOR for NatureSweet earlier this year, the campaign introduces the brand’s new positioning unifying both flavor and purpose. It pairs the introduction of the Teamatoes with the brand's new creative direction centered on celebrating incredible flavor, joyful moments, and the belief that when things are done right, life tastes better.

Travis Laveault, Director of Omnichannel & Digital Marketing notes, "Behind every creative spot is months of insight, creativity, and collaboration. We're excited to bring this campaign to audiences and thank everyone who helped make it happen, especially our agency partners at 270B."

In the hero spot, guests enjoy NatureSweet tomatoes as appetizers at a gathering while animated Teamatoes playfully point guests toward the food, adding charm to each moment eager to give snackers what they crave, ensuring each guest has the perfect bite. Designed to be universally understood, emotionally resonant, and flexible across social channels, the Teamatoes embody the heart of the NatureSweet brand while building memory and meaning through their consistent, lovable presence. The spot wraps with the pod label revealing the NatureSweet Associate before it closes, ensuring that “all the good” is shown: the delicious tomatoes and the amazing people who make them possible.

The landing page introduces the campaign's new characters while showcasing the NatureSweet product portfolio and inspiring consumers with fresh recipe ideas and product uses. People can spend more time with the Teamatoes in a game called “Reveal the Good,” seeking them out in a variety of illustrated scenes. Featured recipes link out to NatureSweet’s Instagram, showing people the delicious uses for the products.

The "Taste All the Good" campaign showcases multiple snacking occasions across different settings while highlighting the brand's signature pod packaging, including its portability and easy opening design. To bring the Teamatoes into a live-action environment, 270B transformed characters that first appeared on NatureSweet packaging in early 2026 into fully realized 3D personalities. They refined the Teamatoes through multiple rounds of development, including 360-degree turntables, lighting, shading, color, and animation, naturally translating their 2D design into a three-dimensional world.

During production, clay Teamato stand-ins established blocking and framing before the final visual effects were integrated into each scene. The production, helmed by Republic, required close collaboration between the creative, production, editorial, and visual effects teams to seamlessly blend the animated characters into live-action footage.

The campaign launched across digital platforms in select DMAs.

Wolfgang and Teremana Turn a Game Into a Global Celebration of Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:01:00 +0000

There may be no two greater symbols of connection than a table and a soccer pitch. One has brought people together for centuries. The other has united nations for generations.

Last week, the two came together at a record-breaking brand experience: The World Table. Created by Los Angeles-based creative agency Wolfgang and Teremana® Tequila, the activation set the Guinness World Record for the world's longest foosball table while bringing fans from across the globe together.

On July 11th, at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, fans gathered around a custom-built 525-foot foosball table, with bespoke artwork representing 48 different nations, to play one epic match. More than a feat of engineering, The World Table brought more than 500 strangers together as teammates, creating one shared moment that proved that connection is bigger than competition.

The experience is a continuation of Teremana's brand platform, “Share the Table. Share the Mana.”

"Tables have a kind of magnetism. They pull people together," said Mike Van Linda, Executive Creative Director at Wolfgang. "That’s true throughout history, and it’s still true today. Every four years, soccer does the same thing on a global scale. We wanted to bring those worlds together and give people a one-of-a-kind shared experience that just happened to break a world record along the way.”

Throughout the day, attendees played on the record-breaking table, customized jerseys inspired by the participating nations, collected personalized player cards, captured the moment at custom photo installations, and enjoyed Teremana cocktails. Actor Jay Pharoah and ESPN’s Laura Rutledge kept the energy high with live commentary and fan interviews.

At the heart of the experience is Teremana's philosophy of Mana—the belief that good energy becomes more powerful when it's shared. The World Table turned that philosophy into something tangible, inviting people from different backgrounds to gather around one epic table to create a shared moment in history.

ABOUT WOLFGANG

Wolfgang is a creative agency based in Los Angeles. The agency helps ambitious brands evolve through bold strategy, cultural insights, and breakthrough creative campaigns.

ABOUT TERMANA® TEQUILA

Teremana® is a premium, small-batch tequila founded by Dwayne Johnson, Jenna Fagnan, Ken Austin and Dany Garcia. Crafted under the brand's unique NOM, 1613 at Destilería Teremana® De Agave nestled in the highest peaks of the Jalisco highlands, Teremana® offers three distinct expressions - Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. Each bottle is meticulously crafted from 100% fully mature agave, slow roasted in traditional brick ovens, and distilled in handmade copper pot stills. Rooted in the principles of quality and accessibility, Teremana® Tequila is marketed by Siete Bucks Spirits, which oversees production standards, compliance, and regulatory alignment. Teremana® embodies the spirit of Mana, a powerful force that inspires us to foster good energy, bring people together, and do the right thing.

Edmunds Helps Car Shoppers Make the Right Call in New Ad Starring Dodgers’ Tommy Edman

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:25:57 +0000

National car-shopping resource Edmunds wants car shoppers to make the right call—literally—in “The Challenge,” an LA-first social ad campaign featuring Los Angeles Dodgers’ superutility player Tommy Edman. Directed and produced entirely in-house, the ad series targets a deliberately narrow audience and runs in Los Angeles and select markets nationwide across Meta platforms today through mid-September.

The ad spot is the latest element of Edmunds’ “Back to Back” brand campaign, an extended partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Edman for the 2026 season. Through the campaign, fans will discover how they can use Edmunds to browse millions of new and used vehicle listings and get a free appraisal with up to three offers on their current car.

In the ad, Edman calls out the biggest pain points of driving in Los Angeles, from heavy traffic to high gas prices and today’s challenging affordability conditions. Developed for sports fans, the social-native commercial plays on the familiar concept of challenging a close call. Edmunds uses the concept as an extended metaphor, showing shoppers how its digital tools help them to make a more informed, confident call on their next vehicle purchase.

“Much like baseball, car buying is a tough game even under the most ideal conditions. Edmunds is reminding shoppers that even in a challenging market, there’s always an opportunity to make a better call,” said Alison Steinlauf Anziska, Edmunds' senior vice president of marketing. “We’re proud to continue our work with Tommy Edman, an athlete who always makes the right calls on the field.”

Creative Strategy: Reaching Real Fans by Leaning Into the Baseball Zeitgeist

"In marketing, the ultimate trap is trying to please everyone and ending up delivering less value to the consumers you’re actually trying to reach,” said Benny Gee, creative director at Edmunds. “With this campaign, we picked a specific audience and built a concept crafted entirely for them: the sports fan. By leaning into this niche world, we created something that speaks directly to them while positioning Edmunds as the ultimate consumer advocate that gives shoppers absolute confidence in the deal they’re getting."

Delivered in a question-and-answer format, the creative is built for short-form social video and runs across Meta platforms in punchy 30-, 15- and 6-second cuts, with high-energy, quick-cut editing to keep audiences engaged.

“There's an old industry belief: If the work really matters, you have to use an agency for it. For almost a decade, that's what we did too,” said Gee. “This time, we built it ourselves — start to finish. We know our brand better than anyone we could hire. That's why the idea survives the way it was pitched — because it's actually ours.”

Edmunds Goes Back-to-Back with Tommy Edman in Latest Ad

Tommy Edman is the face of Edmunds’ hero ad campaign for a second consecutive season. The partnership coincides with the versatile switch-hitter’s second full season as a Dodger (third overall) and back-to-back championships with the Boys in Blue.

“Baseball fans know the importance of making the right call, and bringing that idea into the ad with Edmunds was a fun way to speak directly to them,” said Edman. “This campaign is all about showing people that Edmunds can help them make the right calls when it’s time to shop for a car, whether they need an unbiased vehicle review, a quick gut check on a price, or a clear look at what their current car is actually worth.”

“Where’s the Love for LA Drivers?”

“The Challenge” launches at a critical moment as car shoppers face significant affordability headwinds. New-car prices have climbed nearly 30% since 2019, and rising interest rates, insurance, repair costs and gas prices have pushed average monthly payments to a historic high of $777, with buyers, at record levels, stretching loan terms out to seven years or longer.

“This campaign is our effort to connect more consumers with Edmunds’ research and budgeting tools so they can navigate today’s market conditions with confidence," said Anziska.

Building on Momentum: Deepening Ties with Sports Fans

“Back to Back” is the latest in a series of Edmunds campaigns built for sports fans. From “Name of the Game” in 2024 to 2025’s “Edman on the Street,” Edmunds has built a roster of professional athletes with names that sound like Edmunds, positioning the brand as the resource shoppers turn to when beginning a journey to buy or sell a car. “Edman on the Street” earned Gold recognition in the Association of National Advertisers’ In-House Excellence Awards earlier this year. The sports focus is grounded in third-party data showing strong overlap between car shoppers and sports fans.

Last year’s campaign, which also included an Original Tommy’s cheeseburger combo giveaway on National Cheeseburger Day, drove a 111% increase in Google searches for "Edmunds" and a 22-point lift in ad recall in Los Angeles, more than double benchmark levels, along with gains in engagement and appraisal activity.

Driving in More Runs This Season

Dodgers fans will engage with Edmunds across multiple platforms and fan experiences through the rest of the 2026 season. In August, Edmunds will launch a sweepstakes featuring VIP Dodgers gameday experiences, including an on-field batting practice viewing, a private stadium tour, premium seats, and transportation to and from the game.

Edmunds will also have an in-stadium presence at select Dodgers home games in August, featuring its car-shopping experts and fun giveaways. Toward the end of the season, Edmunds will reveal the results of a Dodgers fan survey on car ownership and shopping habits, along with a video featuring Tommy Edman’s reaction to the results.

ABOUT EDMUNDS

Edmunds guides car shoppers online from research to purchase. With in-depth reviews of every new vehicle, shopping tips from an in-house team of experts, plus a wealth of consumer and automotive market insights, Edmunds helps millions of shoppers each month select, price and buy a car with confidence. Regarded as one of America's best workplaces by Newsweek, Fortune, Great Place to Work and Built In, Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California. Follow us on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Channel 4 Encourages New Thinking on Class Representation with Next Iteration of Diversity in Advertising Award

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:40:27 +0000

Channel 4 Sales has today launched the eleventh edition of its annual Diversity in Advertising Awards, offering £1 million worth of advertising airtime to support work that champions more authentic representation in advertising.

This year’s iteration focuses on class, asking brands and agencies to challenge outdated stereotypes and better represent the lives, agency and influence of working-class people across the UK.

A 2024 YouGov survey found that 56% of Britons consider themselves working class, while a 2025 report from the Social Mobility Commission similarly found that 53% of the public identify as working class.

Despite this, early findings from Channel 4’s upcoming seventh Mirror On The Industry audit reveals a stark contrast in representation in adverts, with only 11% of characters identified as working class compared to 41% as middle class.

Working-class people are also heavily depicted through the lens of their jobs, with characters more than three times as likely to be shown in a uniform (37%) compared with the total sample (11%).

The Diversity in Advertising Award encourages advertisers to create more accurately representative campaigns, with inclusive, stereotype-free thinking embedded within the creative process, reflecting the intersectional diversity of working-class communities.

Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4 states, “Over the past decade, Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award has helped drive meaningful change across the industry, while proving that inclusive advertising delivers results. This year, we're challenging brands to rethink how working-class people are represented in advertising and bring forward fresh ideas that reflect one of the UK's largest and most influential audiences.”

The initiative also encourages the meaningful involvement of working-class creatives and consultants behind the scenes.

The winning brand will receive £1 million worth of Channel 4 advertising airtime across the broadcaster’s linear, streaming, and social platforms. An additional five shortlist entries will also be offered up to £250,000 of match funded commercial ad space.

Amy Jenkins, Sales Leader at Channel 4, adds, “More than half of people in the UK identify as working class, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in advertising. By entering this initiative, brands have an opportunity to reach an audience whose considerable spending power and influence is often overlooked, while creating work that resonates more strongly with modern Britain.”

The long-standing Diversity in Advertising Award sits at the heart of Channel 4 Sales' Business for Good initiatives, demonstrating how advertising can drive both positive social impact and commercial success. Previous winners have included campaigns from Maltesers, Lloyds, Starbucks, Vanish, E45, Currys and Tesco.

Competition entries for 2026’s Diversity in Advertising Award must be submitted by 1^st October 2026.

Further details and how to enter Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award are available here: Channel 4 Sales website – Business for Good

E*TRADE Launches Crypto Trading With New 'What's Next' Campaign by 72andSunny and Park Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Rey B) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:24:58 +0000

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley has unveiled its latest brand campaign, "What's Next," celebrating the launch of cryptocurrency trading on its award-winning platform. Created by 72andSunny New York and produced by Park Pictures, the campaign marks the newest chapter of the brand's "More to Love" platform.

The new film places crypto within the broader history of financial innovation, illustrating how groundbreaking investment opportunities often begin as unfamiliar concepts before becoming part of everyday investing. With clients now able to buy, sell and trade Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana on E*TRADE's platform—supported by insights from Morgan Stanley—the campaign positions crypto as the next evolution in trading.

The integrated campaign launched today across multiple channels, including:

A national video rollout timed to major sports and cultural events, including MLB All-Star Weekend and the Home Run Derby.
Social activations designed to spark conversation across Reddit and X, reaching investors where they are most active.
A first-to-market Reddit execution featuring a custom tap-to-engage unit displaying real-time cryptocurrency pricing.

The spot, titled "What's Next," traces the evolution of trading across different eras, showing that every major financial shift once seemed unfamiliar before becoming mainstream. By connecting historical moments of innovation with today's crypto landscape, the campaign reinforces E*TRADE's position at the forefront of modern investing.

Juliana Cobb, Chief Creative Officer at 72andSunny New York, said: "E*TRADE is an innovator who's always been at the forefront of modern trading, so what better way to show the latest evolution – hello, crypto! – than to go back to the beginning?"

Park Pictures director Nathan Price added: "It's a film about the underdogs of history who had the temerity to embrace the new. A goat herder, a princeling on the make, cash mad pirates, a Reagan-era PC day trader. We wanted you to feel their vividness — the character actors, the richness of costume and place, and a camera hungry for their energy, hungry for life."

Andrea Zaretsky, Chief Marketing Officer of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and ETRADE, said: "'What's Next' dives into ETRADE's next frontier—crypto. The launch is a perfect example of what we want to convey in our More to Love campaign. Clients now have a seamless, integrated experience through the award-winning E*TRADE platform, with the confidence and trust that comes from being part of Morgan Stanley. With this campaign, we're shining a light on how we meet investors at every step of their financial journey—whether they're just starting out, experienced active traders, or planning for retirement."

CREDITS

Creative Agency: 72andSunny New York
Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: Nathan Price
Editorial: Work
Color: Rare Medium
Sound Design & Mix: Concrete Form
VFX Studio: Untold

The Evolution of Digital Marketing for Modern Businesses

noreply@blogger.com (Staff Writer) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:09:35 +0000

The digital marketing landscape has undergone a profound transformation over the past two decades. What began as simple banner advertisements and basic email directories has evolved into a highly sophisticated, data-driven ecosystem powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-time analytics. For modern businesses, navigating this complex environment requires a continuous adaptation of strategies, tools, and partnerships to ensure sustained growth and market relevance.

From Mass Media to Hyper-Personalization

Historically, marketing was a broadcast medium. Companies relied on television, radio, and print advertisements to reach broad audiences, hoping that a small percentage of viewers would convert into customers. While this approach was effective for building mass brand awareness, it lacked precision and was incredibly expensive. The advent of search engines and social media platforms shifted the paradigm, allowing businesses to target consumers based on their specific interests, behaviors, and search intent.

Today, the focus has shifted from broad targeting to hyper-personalization. Consumers expect brands to understand their unique needs and deliver tailored content at every touchpoint of their buying journey. This level of personalization requires a deep integration of customer data platforms, content management systems, and automated marketing tools. Businesses that fail to deliver personalized experiences risk losing their audience to more agile competitors who leverage data to build stronger customer relationships.

The Rise of Search and Organic Visibility

Among the various digital marketing channels, organic search remains one of the most powerful and cost-effective drivers of long-term business growth. Unlike paid advertising, which stops generating leads the moment the budget is exhausted, search engine optimization builds permanent digital equity. Appearing at the top of organic search results establishes natural trust and credibility with consumers, who view top-ranking websites as industry leaders.

However, achieving and maintaining top rankings is more challenging than ever. Search engine algorithms are constantly updated to prioritize user experience, content depth, and technical site health. Modern search optimization requires a holistic approach that combines high-quality content creation, flawless technical architecture, and strategic authority building. Partnering with specialized agencies like Howling Media allows businesses to navigate these complexities and build a robust digital presence that withstands algorithmic shifts.

The Integration of AI and Automation

Artificial intelligence is the latest force disrupting the digital marketing industry. From predictive analytics and automated content generation to conversational chatbots and programmatic ad buying, AI is enabling marketers to work with unprecedented speed and efficiency. By automating repetitive tasks, businesses can focus their resources on high-level strategy, creative development, and relationship building, driving better campaign performance and higher returns on investment.

Despite the power of automation, the human element remains essential. Successful marketing campaigns require a balance of data-driven insights and creative storytelling. While AI can analyze consumer behavior and optimize ad placements, it cannot replicate the emotional resonance of a well-crafted brand narrative. The future of marketing lies in the collaboration between human creativity and machine intelligence, allowing brands to build deeper connections with their audiences.

Building a Sustainable Digital Strategy

To build a sustainable digital strategy, businesses must focus on diversification. Relying on a single marketing channel, such as paid search or social media, leaves a brand vulnerable to sudden policy changes, algorithm updates, or cost increases. A diversified approach that combines organic search, content marketing, email campaigns, and targeted paid media ensures steady lead generation and brand visibility across multiple touchpoints.

For businesses looking to explore the technical standards of modern web development, reviewing the W3C Web Standards is highly recommended. Additionally, staying updated on search engine guidelines via the official Google Search Central Documentation is essential for maintaining long-term compliance and organic visibility in a highly competitive digital marketplace.

First-Ever Type-High Winners Announced In Global TDC72 Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Gloria J) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:06:12 +0000

The global Type Directors Club announced its first-ever Type-High awards winners in its prestigious TDC72 competition, unveiled at a special awards ceremony and exhibition at The Lighthouse in Brooklyn.

This marks the first time the global organization has awarded its newly created physical Type-High Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, along with continuing to present its prestigious TDC Certificate of Merit honors. Type-High awards were named and designed by longtime TDC collaborator, life member, and organization Chairman Emeritus Graham Clifford.

Overall, 13 Gold, 26 Silver, 28 Bronze, and 92 Certificates of Merit were awarded this year

Leading the way as TCD72 Best of Discipline winners were:

Communication Design: SMLXL New York with Mallandrich Barcelona “Spatial Festival 2025” for Spatial Festival
Lettering: Neighbour Co. Hong Kong SAR China “Tattour 2025 Identity” for Tattour
Type Design: Adobe Tokyo “Momochidori Variable Font”, designed by Ryoko Nishizuka and Frank Grießhammer.

Thirteen entries were awarded TDC’s first Type-High Gold awards, as follows:

Adobe Tokyo “Momochidori Variable Font” in Type Design, Text + Display Typefaces, Variable Font, designed by Ryoko Nishizuka and Frank Grießhammer.
Base Design New York “12 Matcha” for 12 Matcha in Communication Design, Print or Digital, Brand Identity System
Daniel Frumhoff Design New York “Stanford d.school Yearbook ’24” for Stanford University d.school in Lettering, Publication/Editorial, Editorial/Catalog/Magazine, lettering by Hulises Ortiz and Zrinka Buljubašić.
Mălin Neamțu The Hague “Segmentor” personal project in Type Design, Text + Display Typefaces, Multiple Axis Type Family
Neighbour Co. Hong Kong SAR China “Tattour 2025 Identity” for Tattour in Lettering, Other
Omnicom Chicago with Omnicom Production Chicago and Pes Motion Studio Chicago “Caption with Intention” for Rakish Entertainment in Communication Design, Motion, Closed Captions/Subtitles
Shira Inbar New York with Ahmed Klink New York and Tom Van der Borght Ghent “Who Is The Sky?” — Album Art for David Byrne in Communication Design, Print, Packaging Design
SMLXL New York with Mallandrich Barcelona “Spatial Festival 2025” for Spatial Festival in Communication Design, Motion, Animated Posters
Studio Dumbar/DEPT Rotterdam with OpenAI Creative Studio San Francisco “OpenAI DevDay 2025” for OpenAI in Communication Design, Motion, Kinetic Typography
Studio Dumbar/DEPT Rotterdam with OpenAI Creative Studio San Francisco “OpenAI DevDay 2025” for OpenAI in Communication Design, Other, Non-traditional Media
Tarek Atrissi Design Barcelona “From Bauhaus to Mecca Exhibition Design” for The Design Museum Den Bosch, The Netherlands in Lettering, Environmental Design, Installation/Environmental Design
The New York Times Magazine “Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.” in Communication Design, Publication/Editorial, Book/Magazine Cover
Underware The Hague “Herby, a holographic typeface” in Type Design, Text + Display Typefaces, Multiple Axis Type Family

TDC72 entrants with the most overall Type-High awards and Certificate of Merit wins were Studio Dumbar/DEPT Rotterdam with two Golds, two Silvers, and a Certificate of Merit, and SMLXL New York with one Gold, two Silvers, one Bronze, and a Certificate of Merit.

This year’s esteemed global jury of leading professionals in the field from around the world awarded 13 Golds, 26 Silvers, 28 Bronzes, and 93 Certificates of Merit. As per TDC competition tradition, the jury also made their personal TDC72 Judges Choice selections from among all of this year’s winners.

TCD72 winners represented 40 countries and regions, led by the United States with 93, Mainland China with 23, Netherlands and Spain with nine each, and the United Kingdom with seven.

Along with receiving Type-High or Certificate of Merit awards, TCD72 winners receive a digital seal certifying their work is among the world’s best of the year. Winning work will also be featured in the highly respected TDC Annual, The World’s Best Typography® (published in September), and showcased in a number of exhibitions that travel to museums, schools, and design organizations around the world.

TDC72 winners are also part of The One Club for Creativity’s prestigious Global Creative Rankings, earning points alongside winners in The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Director Club of Europe (ADCE), and ONE Asia Creative Awards, to chart the world’s leading independent creatives, design firms, ad agencies, production companies, and brands.

Jury Presidents for the TDC72 competition were Lisa Smith, Global Chief Design Officer, Uncommon Creative Studio, New York for Communication Design; Mary Kate McDevitt, illustrator, hand-letterer, and designer based in Philadelphia for Lettering, and Aleksandra Samuļenkova, type designer based in Haarlem, for Type Design.

The complete showcase of TDC72 winners can be viewed here.