Being noticed is only the start.

A double take with a job to do

5 October 2026

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Wet Ones has found an excellent way to make a functional product interesting. Carefully posed hands look like a rather different part of the body; then “Just for hands” resolves the illusion. The provocation earns its place because it addresses a specific business problem: correcting inappropriate use and making the intended use unmistakable.

The work passed an unusually literal test while I was preparing this edition. When I AirDropped the screenshots from my phone to my laptop, the nudity sensitivity warning activated. That is one personal encounter, but it captures the power of the visual trick rather well.

We would keep the disruptive idea, the resolving line and the clear product cue together so people leave the joke understanding what the wipes are for.

Make the bottle part of the punchline

1 October 2026

▶Brittany Broski · original creator film

Smirnoff Ice / original brand film; native film frame. Play here to load the original film. Open original ↗

▶Breakup · original companion film

Smirnoff Ice / original brand film; native film frame. Play here to load the original film. Open original ↗

This feels very different to the polished Smirnoff work I remember seeing over many years. The loose, creator-led treatment lets Brittany Broski’s comic world lead, while the bottle costume makes Smirnoff Ice central to the breakup joke.

It is a continuation of creator and UGC-style work Smirnoff has run at points over the last few years. What we like here is the confidence of the pairing: a recognisable comic voice, a seasonal occasion and a product that earns its place in the punchline.

An increasing focus on Ice also fits Diageo’s recently announced corporate strategy under Sir Dave Lewis, with its emphasis on ready-to-drink products and accessible formats. That makes this quite interesting beyond just the films shown.

Diageo has explicitly criticised inconsistent US Smirnoff campaigns and said it is bringing Ice and the core spirit together under one trademark. We would keep the creator freedom and product-led humour. We will be interested to see how this work blends with the core spirit proposition and whether the campaigns begin to build a more recognisable Smirnoff world.

The feature you leave out

Outdoor rollout: 24 September 2026 · Teaser: 22 September · Series: 8 October

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▶Context only: original EXPOSED teaser · 22 September, before window

Even Realities; EXPOSED campaign key art. Play here to load YouTube. Open original ↗

The timing works twice. Horror language feels right for October, and the privacy premise sits in a live conversation about camera-enabled smart glasses. Even turns a product decision—leaving out the camera—into an understandable reason to prefer its glasses.

The current outdoor route makes that position striking and immediate. An eight-episode horror series follows on 8 October. The direction has a strong brief: make the concern interesting, then offer a useful alternative.

The seasonal treatment and camera-free position are both worth keeping. We would give the product’s benefits enough space alongside the fear, so people understand what these glasses offer as well as why Even has left out the camera.

Let the product become the spectacle

Installation: 28 September–1 October 2026

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▶Original @aritzia post · 28 September

Aritzia; installation photo via Famous Campaigns. View here to load Instagram. Open original ↗

An enormous pink Super Puff jacket filling the gap between New York buildings is undoubtedly incredibly impactful. The scale makes people stop, while the object they are looking at is unmistakably the product. That gives the spectacle a direct route back to what Aritzia sells.

As an out-of-home activation, it gives people an obvious reason to share photos and talk about the product. It works in person and as an image on a phone.

The Super Puff needs no caption, even at this scale. We would want future executions to keep that clear connection to the product.

The first of many incredible activations to come from Rockstar and whichever agency they work with.

Announcement: 2 October 2026 · Game: 18 November

This is one of the early GTA VI launch partnerships we have seen, and it makes us excited for what comes next. Miami is the inspiration for Vice City, so the connection gives both partners something useful to work with. Place, sport, gaming and the city's visual identity belong in the same idea.

The partnership’s announcement identity gives us a strong start. Vice City Night takes place on 18 November, with the new uniform still to be revealed.

The fit between Miami and Vice City is easy to understand. We are already looking forward to seeing how the game-night experience develops it, and what else Rockstar does around the launch.

Freshness you can hear

5 October 2026

▶From Ground to Sound / London Vegetable Orchestra

Chipotle / original From Ground to Sound film; native film frame. Play here to load YouTube. Open original ↗

There are parts of this we absolutely love. Chipotle turns fresh ingredients into musical instruments, with Abbey Road and the London Vegetable Orchestra making an everyday product claim fun and shareable.

My only reservation is some of the musical choices. The Pavarotti and classical music references feel a little odd in an Abbey Road film. They don’t feel particularly fresh, pardon the pun.

This is a minor tweak. We would keep the London Vegetable Orchestra partnership going and look for more ways to use it. More modern musical cues could carry the fresh-ingredients story through the music.

The closing phrase is particularly promising. Chipotle has already said the composition will continue as a signature sound across selected campaigns, and an excerpt appeared in its August advertising. It will be interesting to see how consistently it is used and whether people learn to recognise it as Chipotle.

As we cover in Stage 05, Identity, of The Playbook, a brand can build recognition across the senses. We’re big believers in multisensory branding. Repeated use of the orchestra’s sound could give Chipotle a recognisable brand cue.

Recognition is something to protect

Reveal: 29–30 September 2026 · Teaser: 22 September

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▶Why is she not laughing? · Original explanation film

Bel Brands USA / The Laughing Cow. Play here to load the original film. Open original ↗

Removing the Laughing Cow’s smile is an effective interruption. The central character is a recognition asset built through years of consistent use, so we would be careful with it. Familiarity helps shoppers notice a change. They may still miss its meaning.

We would reserve this kind of intervention for a rare, brief occasion with a clear explanation and plenty of familiar cues around it. Our concern is whether the idea pleases marketers more readily than shoppers. In a world of cheap imitations and awkward AI imagery, a strange-looking pack has other possible explanations besides a clever brand story.

That is a risk to test, rather than a claim about what happened here. We would check whether shoppers still recognise and attribute the altered pack quickly, keep the character’s story connected to the product and restore the familiar face after this brief intervention.

Make the job as clear as the casting

National TV launch: 25 September 2026 · Film uploaded: 18 September

▶Want to work at FamilyMart? · 30-second film

FamilyMart / Lady Gaga, original brand release. Play here to load YouTube. Open original ↗

Lady Gaga makes an everyday convenience-store job arresting. The couture uniform, name badge and store aisle give the casting a setting that belongs to FamilyMart. It is a useful collision between a highly individual star and a familiar retail environment.

People should enjoy the look and understand the appearance-policy freedom on offer and how to apply, even in a still or a short cut. Gaga can make them stop. We would keep her and the store world, with real staff helping local versions turn the campaign’s spirit into a credible employment offer.

Choose a traveller need

29 September 2026

▶The Introvert Travel Agency

Visit Sweden / original brand film; native film frame. Play here to load YouTube. Open original ↗

An Introvert Travel Agency gives Sweden a specific reason to be considered. Personal space becomes part of the travel proposition, rather than an incidental quality of the destination. The conceit creates room for humour while addressing an understandable need.

The service gives people a useful way to act on the proposition: a short quiz and travel packages available through external operators.

We would keep the cultural humour and make the practical reassurance easy to find. Quiet experiences, clear booking steps and realistic expectations will do more for the proposition than treating every introvert as the same kind of traveller.

A reset that assumes too much

21 September 2026 · Included as an exception to this edition’s two-week window

“Under New Ownership” puts the Punk IPA can alongside “No More Cunning Stunts. Just Great Beer.” The promise is direct, and the product stays visible.

Our hesitation is who understands the joke. We are not convinced that most consumers follow BrewDog’s ownership changes or its history of marketing stunts closely enough for this to mean much to them. It feels like marketers talking to marketers.

We would keep the beer prominent and make the reason to choose it clearer. The change in ownership can support that story, but should earn its space by explaining what improves for the drinker.

Give a challenger a reason to be chosen

Making-of: 27 September 2026 · Film uploaded: 28 September · TV premiere scheduled: 4 October

▶Bees R Good, Trees R Good

Faith In Nature / original brand film; native film frame. Play here to load YouTube. Open original ↗

There is a nature-and-music territory worth exploring in the familiar rave hook, clear affinity with nature and production made by people.

We would not carry the film forward or put meaningful further investment behind this execution. It needs more category clarity and product desire before it gives people a strong enough reason to choose Faith In Nature’s products.

The rough aesthetic is a creative choice. Our concern is what it leaves people wanting and remembering. A new brief needs to make the product benefit clearer and make Faith In Nature recognisable through a distinctive brand world.