Here’s the One Word You Should Never Say to Parents Who Have Kids With Down Syndrome

Warning: There’s a bad word in FCB Canada’s new campaign for the nonprofit Canadian Down Syndrome Society. It’s not shit or fuck, though you’ll hear young people with Down syndrome say both of those words, repeatedly and with great gusto, in the 90-second video below. Even so, despite the riotous and good-natured profanity, the only…

Why the Ads for Thor: Ragnarok Have Been So Surprisingly Bright and Fun

Over the last 10 years, various Marvel Studios executives and actors have been asked why there haven’t been more solo movies for The Hulk. After 2003’s Ang Lee-directed Hulk was widely panned due to its unconventional approach, and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk failed to live up to the Iron Man standard of success, the character…

Samsung Bashes an Entire Decade of iPhones in This Entertaining Galaxy Ad

In the early years of Samsung smartphones, the brand built a whole business around dissing Apple. And they’re still at it, rolling out a new 60-second spot today called “Growing Up,” which stars a longtime Apple fan who’s been buying iPhones for years–only to be regularly disappointed, mostly by his girlfriend’s Samsung phones. We begin…

Ridiculously Nice Ad for a Crappy 1996 Honda Boosts the Asking Price by 300 Times

Absurdly polished advertising for shitty used cars is a fairly common thing. Every year we seem to get another example, from art director Castor’s “Buy My Volvo” to Chris Murphy’s “F150 truck for sale.” Now, we have another entry in the canon, as filmmaker Max Lanman put together a cinematic spot for his girlfriend Carrie’s…

This Automaker Lets You Buy Its Latest Vehicle With YouTube Views

YouTube views are a valued currency for many advertisers. And now, J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam is turning them into an actual currency–convincing automaker client Opel to accept views of viral videos involving its vehicles as payment for them. It works like this: Consumers are encouraged to create videos of Opel’s new “Online Edition” while loaning…

Gene Wilder’s ‘Pure Imagination’ From Willy Wonka Becomes a Poignant Alzheimer’s PSA

A moving new campaign is seeking to raise money to battle Alzheimer’s by using one of its best known victims in one of his most iconic roles–Gene Wilder singing “Pure Imagination” in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. A 90-second PSA from the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association and agency MullenLowe features the late performer in one…

Coke Made Its Own Bubbly Ad About Saudi Arabia Lifting Its Ban on Women Driving

It took a few weeks, but Coca-Cola has rolled out an upbeat commercial in Saudi Arabia, celebrating King Salman’s decree back in September that allows women to drive–finally ending the only ban on women drivers anywhere in the world. The minute-long spot opens with a father and his daughter switching seats so that she is…

Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Biggest Trainer’ Ad for ROC Puts Up Some Big Numbers

Cristiano Ronaldo may be one of the most famous footballers in the world (the Real Madrid forward is a four-time world player of the year), but he’s apparently not immune to an off-season slump that involves lying on the couch and eating junk food. What will become of his internationally famous six-pack? An ad for…

Parents Are Horrified by Furniture Kids Can Hide Inside in This Shock PSA

The video below starts out looking like your average hidden-camera social experiment, building up to laughter from the prankster and the prankees. But the spot from Unicef takes a grim turn. Unsuspecting parents, in the midst of shopping, are introduced to a line of furniture that has safeguards for children who are abused–be it physically,…

Zappos Turned True Customer Stories Into Charming Low-Budget Ads

Zappos is leaning into its reputation for customer service with a new set of ads reenacting the absurd lengths to which it will go to satisfy people who buy its products. One spot features a toddler ballerina and her father. Decked out in a pink tutu, she keeps refusing the various ballet shoes he’s ordered…

Lingerie Brand Defends ‘Office Party’ Ad From Claims It’s Shockingly Inappropriate

At a time when issues of sexism and harassment in the workplace have never been more in the spotlight, Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette has rolled out a holiday commercial that would seem absurdly oblivious to that dialogue–yet the company’s founder is brushing off criticisms as “ridiculous.” The spot has a clear workplace theme. It’s…

HP’s Wonder-Filled Holiday Ad Brings a Bit of Magic to Solitary City Dwellers

We often take for granted how lonely the holidays can be for some–especially in big cities, where, sometimes, it seems the people you know best are those you see just outside the window. Ahead of the holidays, and for its “Keep Reinventing” campaign, HP gives us “Reinvent Giving,” the charming story of a woman who…

Is This Pot Ad With a Happily Stoned Mom for Real? Well, Yes and No

Life can be a real buzzkill. There’s the mortgage to stress about, the tiger moms to compete with, the kids and the aging parents to care for. What does a Gen X gal with a little disposable income have to do for some relief around here? Subscribe to a marijuana delivery service that can send…

Thanks but No Thanks. How Little Rock Won by Saying No to Amazon

Cities around the U.S. have been falling over themselves pitching themselves to Amazon as candidates for its second headquarters. But Little Rock, Arkansas, took a unique approach. Its response to the HQ2 RFP was gracious and clever, but fundamentally different than all the others. Thanks but no thanks, Little Rock told Amazon. The Little Rock…

These Wisconsin Billboards Are So Hot, Drivers Think They’re on Fire

Billboards are designed to cause a reaction. Not necessarily 911 calls, but Associated Bank will take it. Minneapolis agency Colle McVoy recently made some billboards for Associated Bank’s Green Bay Packers checking program, showing photos of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The ads were outfitted with fog machines, to mimic the look of players exiting…

Ikea Just Made the Most Boring Preroll Ads, Yet They’re Totally Mesmerizing

Ikea touts itself as a brand that draws inspiration from the everyday lives of people. In its home market of Sweden, it’s leaned in to this philosophy with “Where Life Happens,” which has given us heart-wrenching ads about divorce, single parenting, adoption and even the slow dissolution of father-daughter bonds. But in addition to its…

Bread Face Made an Ad for Jewelry While Mashing Her Face Into Baked Goods

You know you love yourself some ASMR content, that stuff of soft sounds that apparently result in ticklish little braingasms. But the cottage industry goes way further than mere whispers. Have you met Bread Face? The Bread Face blog launched in early December 2015, at which time her Instagram account swelled to over 20,000 followers….

The Scariest, Freakiest and Funniest Halloween Ads of 2017

It’s been a particularly fun year for Halloween advertising, with lots of marketers producing mini horror movies in place of their usual 30-second spots. We’ve collected a lot of that long-form stuff here in our 2017 Halloween roundup, along with other memorably creepy ads and stunts. We’ll update this story as more frightful and fun…

Honda Turned Its Drivers’ Own Garages Into Car Dealerships in a Clever Twist on Testimonials

Asked your neighbor for a cup of sugar lately? They might not have that … but they could have a garage full of Hondas to sell you! Honda doesn’t have a ton of dealerships in France. So, to get its newest CR-V and HR-V SUV models in front of prospects, it had to get scrappy….

Netflix and Google Made a Google Home Game for Stranger Things Season 2

Add Google to the list of companies that have a Stranger Things season 2 activation. Netflix partnered with the tech giant to create a voice-activated game for the second season that you play through your Google Home or Google Home Mini voice assistant. The device acts as a walkie-talkie–all you have to do is say…