Work of the Week

It’s 2022, ten years after the Mayans predicted the apocalypse in 2012 — yet here we remain.

Of course, there has been an apocalypse of sorts over the past couple of years, with societies and systems globally entering turbulent (often catastrophic) times due to the Covid-19 virus.

Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it may well be that Omicron — a more transmittable but less severe strain of the virus — is it.

Fortunately, for timing’s sake, this coincides with the beginning of a new year, raising hopes that 2022 might finally be the year where we put this whole ordeal to bed.

This week’s campaigns reflect this more hopeful and joyous mood ad infinitum. Read on to see some of our members' best work this week.

‘Butter the Food. Butter the Mood’, Anchor Butter and Engine Creative

Engine Creative and Anchor butter released a spot this week as smooth as the stuff it’s championing.

The work, "Butter the Food. Butter the Mood",  shows various people from individuals to families and from every generation tucking into Anchor-buttered food in a packed town square.

A year ago, this might well have seemed tone deaf, but it’s 2022 and things are looking a lot better than they once were.

'How do you NOT eat yours', Cadbury and VCCP London

It’s a week into January and that means one thing and one thing only: Easter ads. Cadbury has always positioned itself as essential to the chocolatey period, and this year is no different, except for one thing.

"How do you NOT eat yours" takes the iconic ‘80s "How do you eat yours?" campaign for Cadbury Creme Egg and places it firmly on its head, challenging Cadbury Creme Egg lovers to resist the temptation of eating a prize-winning egg.

Humorous, well thought out and a pay-off that is decades in the making, these couple of spots hammer home the delight in decadence.

'Yoga', McDonalds and Leo Burnett

December was an expensive time for many, which makes this tongue-in-cheek spot centred on the McDonald’s Saver Menu all the better from Leo Burnett.

In it, a woman is attending a yoga class but uses a child's colourful play mat instead of a classic yoga mat, much to the amusement of everyone else in the class.

Simple, effective and of the moment.

'Drink January Dry', Lucky Saint and New Commercial Arts

Dry January and the low/no alcohol market have gained a lot of footing in the cultural zeitgeist over the past decade.

Despite this, stigma still remains for those who forsake booze and choose the healthier option.

This campaign by NCA seeks to rectify this whilst also positioning alcohol-free Lucky Saint as the beer of Dry January.

'Space Raiders’ Station', Space Invaders and St Lukes

Although technically this work launched in the in-between days of the Christmas period, it’s worthy of a mention.

The work is essentially an AR-centric social campaign that aims to engage new younger audiences with the alien snack.

What’s interesting here is that Space Invaders is one of the quintessential after-school snacks, yet during Covid schools were closed — meaning that the demand was simply no longer there.

This campaign aims to remedy this loss, engaging with its consumers not where they wish they were but where they actually are: online on Tik Tok and Instagram.

It is good to see that brands are continuing to modernise and innovate their products in face of unrest, and looking back this was one of the silver linings to the entire lockdown period.

Looking forward into 2022 however, let’s hope such a need becomes a little bit more alien.