Work Of The Week

It was a week that started as blue as any in January with Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year kicking things off... thankfully, a number of ad campaigns touted the event and others provided light-hearted relief.

We look back at the creative that caught our eye this week.

Reese's, "Could we put peanut butter in that?", Mother

Reese's chocolates are known for their delightful creamy texture and delicious flavour so Mother came on board with a new campaign to evoke the above ordinary approach taken by the brand.

In the spot helmed by ManvsMachine director Tom Bunker, peanut butter filling is poured over a chocolate shoe to reflect the indulgence impulse that chocolate lovers have to combine flavours.

Christian Aid, "Beacon of Hope", Goodstuff and Impero

Ugandan artist and writer Matt Kayem created a light and colour-filled extraordinary stained glass installation to bring hope to London and counteract the winter blues.

The three-metre-tall beacon was installed in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral to lift the nation's spirits on Blue Monday and raise awareness of injustice and inequality by partnering with Christian Aid as part of Impero's ongoing wider creative platform, 'United by Hope.'

Lit from within, the installation not only looks like a beautiful artistic prism set against London's darkened wintry backdrop, but also contains messages around food, equality, health and climate woven into the images.

“2022 was a tough year for so many people," says Kimberley Ferguson, Brand Marketing & Creative Lead at Christian Aid. "Following such hardship, it is natural to feel despondent, but we mustn’t give up hope."

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, "Recharge Here", BBH

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles got the Blue Monday memo and also decided to launch a light-inspired billboard to tackle any melancholy associated with the month.

Based near Waterloo station, the OOH billboard is basically a huge SAD lamp that emits mood-enhancing light that mimics the sun to prevent the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder, which refers to a depression brought on in winter and attributed to a lack of daylight.

The aim of the campaign was to encourage commuters to pause and recharge in front of the billboard, which is powered by 100% renewable electric energy from Green Voltage UK and highlights the positive energy of Volkswagen's first ever fully electric van.

Flora Plant, "Skip The Cow", Pablo

This campaign for Flora Plant aims to coincide with many people's New Year's resolutions of eating plant-based and promoting the plant-based butter alternative.

In the spot directed by Biscuit's James Rouse, Terry's Cafe owner shares his thoughts on the spread - something he is very much averse to, instead going on to explain in detail how he prefers to eat something that's been passed through a cow's stomach.

The tongue-in-cheek creative allows viewers to make up their own mind and decide whether they can truly stomach dairy butter once they're reminded just how the product came into existence.

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