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First up, Highdive worked with director Taika Waititi and production company Hungry Man to make a hilarious, Matrix-inspired Lay’s ad starring Keegan Michael-Key and Carrie Anne Moss. In it, Keegan (as a comedic Morpheus) sends us down “rabbit holes” inspired by different Lay’s flavors and textures—and of course, we find Trinity along the way.
We first saw this notion in a pre-Super Bowl teaser that, like the full ad, was part of an effort to introduce the popular Canadian flavor “All Dressed” stateside. Given the state of trade relations between Canada and the U.S., that direction ultimately didn’t pan out, and Lay’s instead hit the Big Game with a heartland-themed spot, also from Highdive and Waititi.
But the Matrix ad did manage to drop during the SNL50 anniversary special, which is arguably even more fun than seeing Lay’s “All Dressed” for the Big Game.
On top of that, we have something better than the ad itself, in our humble opinion: a behind-the-scenes video Highdive made so we could enjoy more of the fun the team had with its stellar director and cast.
THE MAYOR for Consumer Cellular
NASCAR champ Brad Keselowski recently cut his Consumer Cellular-branded racecar in half to illustrate the brand’s commitment to cutting its rates down. Now, in the latest from THE MAYOR, he’s hitting the accelerator on this message by cutting bits of all sorts of things—steering wheels, hats (visors?), and even his uniform. This one is good fun.
Lupine for Rocksbox
Jewelry brand Rocksbox has its first brick-and-mortar location in San Francisco, and Lupine celebrated with some sweet swag, goodies and experiences, including tote bags, local coffee, and style consultations. Looks like one fine and shiny party.
the Alt League for Rawlings Sporting Goods and Combat MFG
It’s a baseball bat. It looks like cookies and cream. (Yum!) And it sold out in literal seconds thanks to the Alt League.
Funnelbox for Grammarly
How do you make grammar sexy? Well, OK, I’m the wrong person to ask because I think grammar is one of the sexiest things on the planet. But now it’s hot in a stylish, tech-forward, and business-savvy way rather than a dweeby way thanks to this video from Funnelbox, which positions Grammarly’s AI work assistant services as the antidote to entirely too much content, instead empowering pros to get to the heart of business objectives.
St. John for Rooms to Go
St. John visited three cities in six weeks to freshen up Rooms To Go’s content library with some glitzy new assets.
Carson + Doyle’s has a new website
… and it slaps, just like “the Gen Z agency” itself. Take a look.
Buntin: Overused Fonts
Which font do you overuse and abuse? (Fraunces or Libre Baskerville here.) Buntin created a fun little video showing the creatives’ default type choices—and paired with the video of them working at their desks, each one makes so much sense.
Xpedition for Google
It’s modular. It’s sexy. We definitely want to chill in it and take a bite from one of those macaron-esque cushions around the minimalist “fire pit.” Take a peek at this activation in Palm Springs, created by Xpedition for Google.
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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.
