Time for another look at the goods! Each Thursday we round up the latest work from our members in a sampler of creative eye candy and smart brand strategy. Let’s see what they’re serving up.
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The Variable for GameChange
We’ll kick off with a nice kickoff this past weekend from The Variable here with GameChange, a platform that lets fans support their favorite schools’ athletic programs, scholarships, facilities and other needs by rounding up their everyday purchases.
The Variable stepped in mid-June to coach the brand through its launch with a rebrand and visual identity, plus strategic partnerships with NCAA schools. A campaign in partnership with Power Digital Marketing will hit national TV outlets and social media, while Lion Media Group got in on the PR action to help The Variable secure ESPN’s Marty Smith as an ambassador.
Highdive for State Farm
A new installment of State Farm’s ongoing “Right Kind of Magic” campaign is haunting us all just in time for spooky season. In the silly spot, an actually-pretty-creepy spirit shows up to scoff at a couple’s concerns over the tree that just fell on their roof, demanding that they sing the brand’s long-running jingle to solve the problem. Scary good stuff.
Doe-Anderson for Sullivan University
Doe-Anderson worked with Method & Madness‘ Jessica Batson on “The School of Doing,” a campaign for Louisville, Ky.,-based Sullivan University featuring a bright color palette, catchy tunes and a focus on hands-on, career-first learning. The campaign livens up the school’s messaging across radio, TV and online platforms. Each spot in the series features a different program, zooming in on hands hard at work in Culinary and Baking, Digital Technology and Patient Care. Read more about it in ScreenMag.
Preacher for Favor
Cramming a delivery app’s many offerings into a 30-second spot requires the fast-talking flair of an auctioneer. A cheerful cowgirl does exactly that Preacher’s series of ads for Texas-exclusive app Favor that tout its ability to sling goodies from grocery chain H-E-B, Favor’s parent company. It’s fun, it has local flair, and it’s startlingly comprehensive. AdAge has the story and more of the spots.
Dame Creative for Werther’s
This work, created in partnership with Breakfast For Dinner for Werther’s parent Storck USA, zooms right in on the heart of everyone who aspires to be that grandma who always carries Werther’s Original candy in her handbag.
Planit for Toro
There are plenty who would see an autonomous mower and think “Roomba from Hell,” so Planit is helping Toro build much-needed trust in its smartyard and robotic lawn mower products that (safely) take lawns from feral to sophisticated.
Curiosity: #QuestionEverything podcast with host Ashley Walters with Stop & Shop marketer Lisa Martinelli
The latest episode of Curiosity’s CMO-focused podcast — which is “part interview, part therapy, part Price Is Right” — has Martinelli talking about her experience at CVS and Stop & Shop, the quirks and challenges of retail marketing and the need for tension when developing a brief.
STRIKE Paris wins Gerety Award
Big congrats to STRIKE Paris on a Bronze and three shortlists at the Gerety Awards. The Health Cut Bronze goes to its work honoring the 40th anniversary of the HIV-fighting nonprofit AIDES, which was founded by Paul-Michel Foucault’s partner, Daniel Defert, following the philosopher-historian’s death of HIV/AIDS in 1984. It’s a powerful tribute to those who have survived the disease that was once a death sentence.
Serviceplan’s Gold and Silver Gerety Wins
Also among the winners is Serviceplan, with two Golds and a Silver:
- This gut-wrenching campaign that offers help for opioid addiction from Anzen Health, also in the Health Cut category, scored a Gold.
- Another gold went to its work for Aizome Wastecare in the B2B category, touting a dyeing method that, rather than causing skin irritation and diseases, aims to make clothing therapeutic.
- And a silver went to its work in the Communications Cut + Craft Cut category for Lufthansa focusing on the stories that led passengers to their air travel journeys.
The Late Jim Riswold on a Life in Advertising
Finally, don’t miss this posthumously published video interview with legendary Wieden+Kennedy copywriter Jim Riswold, who died last month after a long battle with cancer and lung disease. Riswold sat down with his former colleague Mira Kaddoura, now host of agency Red & Co.’s “Into Healing” podcast, for a bittersweet conversation that showcases his characteristic wit. AdAge’s Tim Nudd shared it here.
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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.
