Welcome to IndieWork Weekly, the occasionally Thursday, often other-day roundup that Zanger and I put together to celebrate all the great stuff our members have done this week.
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Highdive for Airheads
Highdive’s scented an opportunity for Halloween, and it’s no nosedive. Taking the familiar refrain “trick or treat, smell my feet” to heart, the brand and agency break down children’s Halloween Night foot odor by mileage and more—then deliver an Airheads-scented antidote to the problem.
And skewing a bit older…
They say Gen Zers demand promotions, prioritize self-care and don’t want to do the work to succeed. But is that really the case? In a slick new campaign, Highdive took to the ice with young NHL stars, including Connor Bedard, Jack Hughes and Nick Suzuki, to throw some shade at these stereotypes.
Ad Age’s John Springer has the story.
Öpinionated for Adidas
On a similar note—but with a more sober tone—Adidas is sending youth athletes a critical message about reframing the pressure they experience as they strive to succeed in sports.
Another good read from Ad Age.
Stoltz for Disability Rights Idaho
Hats off to Stoltz’s team for some good in their home state with this new, localized logo design for the nonprofit DisAbility Rights Idaho.
Familiar Creatures for Chesapeake Bank
We’ve all seen a sizzle reel or three (thousand), but what’s a “fizzle” reel? For Familiar Creatures, it’s all the tired lines banks use—the ones it wanted to avoid when crafting a relatable, homegrown, human feel for Chesapeake Bank. Check it out.
Marcus Thomas for Akron Children’s Hospital
This SpineScreen campaign for Akron Children’s turns sunscreen application into a scoliosis check and aids in early detection. Simple, effective, scalable.
Fortnight Collective + Coupe Studios for Noodles & Company
Fortnight Collective, with a nice assist from members Coupe Studios Music + Sound Design, is helping Noodles & Company get into a new and noodly groove with some mouthwatering shots of its new menu items.
ARGONAUT for Cricket Wireless
Oh my! Cricket’s green, Pixar-esque spokesblob is in the blurred-out buff in this spot, emphasizing that the provider has “nothing to hide.” That said, Dante (for that is the green guy’s name) isn’t typically depicted wearing clothing in other scenarios, so the blur itself renders him more salacious than his usual nude self. Check out more at Roastbrief.
Planit Shows Off a Little
Enjoy a whole montage of all the magic Planit has worked up for its clients in the past quarter.
Preacher for Shake Shack
This spot for Shake Shack provides a mouthwatering closeup of the ingredients, tools and recipes that bring its burgers straight from its kitchens to consumers’ mouths. Drool.
Sabrina Sanchez has the goods at Ad Age.
22Squared for US Polo Assoc. India
Not only is this bound to be the coolest polo ad you’ve ever seen, but it also has a catchy new tagline from 22Squared: Born to Play.
Civitas for Apple @ the MLB Playoffs
Civitas is declaring its second season of Friday Night Baseball creative for Apple a homerun, with hundreds of video assets assembled to meet the most epic moments across stadiums and OTT.
Klick: What’s the Mediverse?
No no, not the metaverse. (Phew.) This is Klick’s Mediverse, a collective of medical science ambassadors assembled to help translate complex medical concepts to everyday patients, bridge gaps between providers and patients, and untangle misinformation-induced anxieties on behalf of clients. Learn how it works.
Cactus for Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Cactus is back with a new spot flagging all the fun and energy to be found courtesy of this Colorado adventure park—and its Denver bootcamp activations—even when the snow hasn’t quite frosted the slopes just yet.
Quirk for Ruggable
Quirk has launched a campaign for the washable rug brand that paints a relatable and realistic picture of the trauma the rugs can withstand from kids and pets.
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Jess Zafarris is the author of two books, Once Upon a Word and Words from Hell, with a third forthcoming in 2025. She has contributed to three other books on topics such as social media and gaming. In the past year, she has been quoted in The New York Times and The Guardian, profiled in The Boston Globe, and interviewed on NPR and BBC World Service Radio. She speaks at conferences about writing careers and social media strategy. After 15 years in B2B and enthusiast media, she went independent to write and create content for organizations including Dictionary.com, PR Daily, Writer’s Digest, and Indie Agency News, as well as a host of communications and advertising agencies. Her podcast, Words Unravelled, has reached more than 2.5 million listeners, and her etymology videos are followed more than 100,000 word lovers.
