Creative Works: 10 of the best ads of the week from Cephas Williams, Shelter and Adidas
At The Drum, we believe great work deserves recognition and that talented creatives should get their share of reverence for the hard work they put in. So each week we will update our hall of fame, celebrating the 10 best ads from our Creative Works section. Welcome, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite!
Adidas’s ‘It’s Coming Hame’ marks Scotland’s return to the Euros after 23 years
In partnership with Adobe Stock, The Drum’s Creative Works is a handpicked selection of our favorite work from around the globe, covering digital, OOH, print, TV and radio. Each week, The Drum selects the 10 best ads from the section. To submit work, please fill out this online form.
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, and so to facilitate a conversation around the mental health of young Black people in the face of institutional racism and violence, Cephas Williams debuted its latest campaign, ‘The World I Want To See’, which features the hopes and dreams for a better future from eight Black boys.
Meanwhile, Shelter released its latest campaign from Who Wot Why, ‘The Fight for Home’, which shows the unfiltered truth behind the national housing emergency. The campaign was created on the back of new research from Shelter showing that 1 in 3 in Britain (34%) – some 17.5 million people – are impacted by the housing emergency.
And that’s just for starters. Scroll down to see the best work from our Creative Works section. And don’t forget to vote!
The World I Want to See by Cephas Williams
One year on from the murder of George Floyd, eight Black boys write an open letter to their older selves detailing the world they want to see.
Cephas Williams and Mind in Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow have teamed up with OOH media owner Clear Channel one year on from the murder of George Floyd to promote a message of hope from Black boys in the community.
‘The World I Want to See’ is a collection of letters from, and portraits of, Black boys in London published one year on from the murder of George Floyd. Inspired by ‘Letter to Zion’, ‘The World I Want To See’ has been designed to put the pen in the hands of Black boys through a series of workshops co-facilitated by Cephas and professionals from HFEH Mind.
Vote for the work here.
Pepsi: #BetterWithPepsi
Over the past few weeks, Pepsi has been making itself very clear: its fizzy drink goes better with burgers than rival Coca-Cola. Like Burger King, the challenger brand always has more fun.
Pepsi commemorated #NationalBurgerDay on May 27 with a simple but effective execution, using packaging from fast food joints KFC, McDonald’s and Wendy’s and circling where the Pepsi logo coincidentally appears – all to illustrate that its drink naturally goes with burgers.
Vote for the work here.
Centrum Praw Kobiet: Recharge Women’s Rights in Poland
While Poland was among one of the first nations to grant legal rights to women, over the past decade the governing body has been slowly eroding away any progress, undermining sexual and reproductive health rights and criticizing gender nonconformity.
A dark day for Polish women, on October 22 last year the country’s government chose to roll back reproductive rights, imposing a near-total ban on abortions, while its present government has been threatening to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on prevention and combating of domestic violence.
Working with agency Dziadek Do Orzechow, Centrum Praw Kobiet has delivered ‘Recharge Women’s Rights in Poland’, which is a fierce, hard-hitting film that doesn’t shy away from the difficult subject of women’s rights in the country.
Vote for the work here.
Papa John’s: Papa x Cheddar by Atomic
Papa John's - Papa x Cheddar Global Launch Ad 2021 from Atomic London on Vimeo.
Is it a pizza ad or is it a fashion ad? You might not recognize Papa John’s in its latest campaign. Leaning on satirical humor and references to gen Z street collaboration culture, the ad enters the pizza joint into the streetwear sector, all while promoting its new Cheddar pizza range.
The push included the first work created by Atomic London, which features an instrumental ‘Cheddar’ track from hip hop artist B Zino. In the film, food content is juxtaposed with fashion shots of models interacting with the pizza.
Vote for the work here.
Shelter: Fight for Home by Who Wot Why
Housing charity Shelter has launched a new campaign ‘Fight For Home’ – created by Who Wot Why – which shows the unfiltered truth behind the national housing emergency. The campaign was created on the back of new research from Shelter showing that 1 in 3 in Britain (34%) – some 17.5 million people – are impacted by the housing emergency.
The ‘Fight for Home’ campaign centers on a film showing real people impacted by the housing emergency voicing their stories. It is directed by Independent Films’s director of Bafta-winning Rocks, Sarah Gavron, and Anu Henriques, and is set to a track written and composed by the award-winning rapper, singer, and songwriter Wretch 32.
Vote for the work here.
Merchant Gourmet: The Simple Plant-Based Cookbook by Uncommon
Uncommon and Merchant Gourmet – the plant-based, healthy grains and pulses brand – has launched a new vegan cookbook: The Simple Plant-Based Cookbook, now available on Amazon. The cookbook contains over 60 tasty plant-based recipes using wholesome lentils, grains and chestnuts.
The project comes following Uncommon’s new strategic direction for the brand – ‘Appetite for change’ – which aims to encourage the UK to help the planet one meal at a time by making plant-based food that tastes incredible.
The cookbook contains more than 60 ways to help the planet. For starters, you can plant the limited-edition cover. It’ll grow basil, parsley, oregano and a bit of hope. The herbs are for the recipes. The hope is for the environment.
Vote for the work here.
LNR: Back on the Field by Fred & Farid
On May 19 the French government lifted restrictions incrementally to stave off a resurgence of Covid-19 and to give citizens back some semblance of a social, cultural and sporting life.
To mark the occasion Fred & Farid Paris has unveiled ‘Back on the Field’, a TVC created for the French National Rugby League, which is a true declaration of love to sports fans.
‘Back on the Field’ tells the story of a professional rugby player who goes back to training and games after months off due to the Covid-19 crisis. Each shot is a genuine representation of the best of rugby.
Vote for the work here.
Zalando: Activists of Optimism
Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, has launched its new campaign ‘Activists of Optimism’ celebrating people who are igniting positivity. Following a year of global lockdowns and restrictions, the campaign aims to celebrate and spread optimism through the simple act of making people smile.
The ‘Activists of Optimism’ campaign is giving people a stage to free their feelings, embrace positivity and spread joy. It is made up of 22 videos of positive action takers, all created as 15-second social shorts, which have then been woven together into a vibrant TV commercial.
Vote for the work here.
Adidas: It’s Coming Hame by The Corner
Marking Scotland’s return to a major international football tournament after a 23-year wait, the Euros are just around the corner and football fever is heating up.
To celebrate Scotland’s involvement in this year’s Euros, kit sponsors Adidas placed a massive billboard near the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, letting people know ‘it’s coming hame’ – a reference to 1996 track The Three Lions written by The Lighting Seeds.
While the song has history in English football, the ad unapologetically crosses out home and replaces it with the Scots word ‘hame’ to poke fun at the famous tune.
Vote for the work here.
Flo.health: Period Emoji
Health and period tracker app Flo has partnered with designer Sophia Luu to curate a set of four menstruation-related Slack emojis to better represent the experiences of people who menstruate while working.
Up to 90% of people who menstruate have painful periods, and 80% report difficulties in managing productivity due to menstrual-related symptoms. Despite menstruation being a natural monthly occurrence for around half the workforce, discussions around the impact of periods in the workplace are still stigmatized.
The Slack emojis created by Flo and Luu help people coping with period symptoms communicate the ups and downs of their cycles – whether it’s the need to take time off, skip video calls or warn others of general crankiness – and each emoji comes with a guide that explains when and how to use it, and how to react if a colleague uses it.
Vote for the work here.
That’s it for this week’s round-up of the 10 best ads from The Drum’s Creative Works. Remember to email nominations to imogen.watson@thedrum.com and to vote for your favorite ad.