US Creative Works: featuring Publicis, Cossette, CPB and more

In a world that is rapidly shifting digitally, Xbox also looks to make a bold move to take gaming to the all-digital realm – with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

The reality is that Xbox simply removed the disc drive, but the brand decided to have some fun with it, with a film stating it has transformed the landscape of disc-free gaming by creating the first-ever all-digital console – the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition

The accompanying mockumentary-style spot from 215 McCann, ‘The Digital Age’ shows the alleged behind-the-scenes showing how the biggest announcement about this smallest of changes came to be. It tells the story of the designers and engineers who came up with this very simple, yet very powerful, idea with the same inspirational, serious tone of other “how we did it” documentaries.

The designers talk about the challenge of making the Xbox totally digital while looking very serious. One guy says that going all digital “had never been done before…except movies, music, books, newspapers, the almanac…we tried removing everything, but we realized that would make it hard to play video games, so we put some stuff back.”

In Brazil, a spike in diesel fuel prices caused a national truck strike in protest, which bled over into consumer territory due to distribution issues, causing painful lines and rising costs.

Brazilian cycling company Caloi offered the bicycle as a unique, low carbon mobility solution, and it put the cost savings of bike transportation out for all to see – right in front of gas stations.

‘Liters,’ an ad campaign created by Tribal Worldwide’s São Paulo office, found a way to show how cycling is a viable, sustainable and economical option for transportation, and with the timing and placement to impact a potential target. Focused on out-of-home (OOH) media, the communication transformed the prices of some of its best-selling bikes to gallons of gasoline, questioning the use of cars in the crowded city as well as rationally demonstrating the cost-to-benefit ratio in urban mobility.

The index used to convert the bike prices in liters of gas was based in real-time data connected with Google Waze information. Every time the fuel value varied, the digital outdoor signs were updated accordingly. To increase the impact, the OOH media placements were selected strategically near gas stations, especially those with the largest queues.

Comparing the Reais (Brazilian currency) that could be spent on a new bike instead of pouring liters of gasoline into a car, more people became aware that cycling is not only good for health and for the planet, but also for their wallets.

A new campaign by Wunderman Minneapolis for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings, titled ‘Thinking in Color,' is the first user-generated content color spectrum ever created as an immersive experience to inspire creativity by actually visualizing the colors a person’s mind creates, according to the company.

Sherwin-Williams says it is obsessed with color and innovation and it sees color as an immersive experience. ‘Thinking in Color’ is the first-ever opportunity to actually experience colors created by the mind. Collaborating with Wunderman Minneapolis, the team created brainwave-monitoring technology to generate hues based on actual brain activity. In real time, the brainwave monitoring headset translates brainwave activity and then visualizes the data into unique colors experiences.

A video shows how it was done. A person stood in front of a 17-foot tall monitor and wore the headset. As that person stared at color waves on the huge monitor, the ‘Thinking in Color’ experience interpreted the alpha, beta, gamma and theta frequencies of that person. In real time, that data was translated into closely related color attributes.

Since its debut, ‘Thinking in Color’ has been creating unique colors from 16m possibilities, for over 2,000 participants. These unique experiences helped create the first ever Architect Series from Sherwin-Williams, a 12-color chip set inspired by the minds of architects.

With three World Cup titles, four Olympic Golds, and countless domestic and international trophies under their belts, the US Women’s Soccer Team isn’t just one of the best women’s teams, but one of the greatest sports teams of all time. To showcase the unapologetic fierceness of the national team as they head into the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the campaign entitled ‘All Eyes On Us’ pays homage to the legacy built by Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.

Fox Sports teamed up with Wieden+Kennedy New York to celebrate one of the greatest teams in sports history in a campaign that displays why the team is so dominant on the world stage.

In ‘Goliath,’ the whole team is featured as a Goliath with many Davids trying to knock them down. A voice over states, “This Goliath isn’t just bigger, or faster, she wants it more,” as the team charges in slow motion towards the camera.

‘Warrior’ centers on Megan Rapinoe, with scenes of her getting slide tackled and knocked down, but always getting up and scoring. ‘The Finisher’ focuses on Alex Morgan. They call her the finisher because “she’s the last thing they’ll see, before it’s too late.”

New ads by Hotels.com play off the fact that people are always posting their vacation pictures on social media, making them look exotic and romantic. While you may tap ‘like’ you’re secretly wishing them ill will for having a good time.

For the first time, Hotels.com is giving this ubiquitous but unspoken behavior a name – the “hate-like.” In a new campaign, ‘Be there. Do that. Get Rewarded.,’ launching in the US and UK, Hotels.com pokes fun at the social truth and offers people a solution to their travel envy.

The spots feature Captain Obvious pointing out the painfully apparent reasons why you hate-like your friends’ vacation posts and remind you that Hotels.com can help you book brag-worthy trips of your own. In ‘Romance’ a woman in a bath tells her unseen significant other, after viewing a romantic beach photo, that romance isn’t dead. Pan out to see her husband on the toilet next to her, with Captain Obvious in the room as well, saying romance is dead there, so they should liven things up by booking their own trip.

Rapper and DJ Lil Jon is out on an envy-inducing vacation of his own in one of the spots, ‘My Dream,’ where he is part of a plane passenger to Omaha’s dream trip, zip lining through a tropical forest (Lil Jon is apparently a zip line enthusiast).

Last October, Snapchat teamed with the Ad Council to support Bullying Prevention Month, with Snapchat creating filters, stickers and Snap Ads to raise awareness about bullying. Now, the social media company is continuing the partnership to prevent bullying through the ‘Because of You’ campaign.

Snapchat is launching the first-ever social impact Lens Challenge, which prompts Snapchatters to describe a time when someone had a positive impact on their respective lives. The ‘Because of You’ Lens Challenge is designed to inspire Snapchatters to express themselves and spread kindness, which aligns with Snap’s values of being kind, smart and creative.

To participate in the ‘Because of You’ Lens Challenge, participants are encouraged to open Snapchat and tap on the camera screen to activate the Lens Carousel, then tap the smiley face icon below the camera button to access Lens Challenges. After that, tap the ‘Because of You’ Lens Challenge to share a time someone positively impacted his or her life using the special Lens, then send the Snap to the ‘Because of You’ Challenge Story for the chance to be featured in the app.

The world of coffee has seen its fair share of interesting innovations and pairings over the years, from nitro brews to signature spices. But coffee-drinkers want their coffee to be a delicious experience in addition to just a java jolt. So Twix is giving it to them, with a game-changing new device. 

To celebrate this tasty union of Twis and coffee together, the brand is unveiling the extremely limited-edition Twix Meltdown via the Twix Instagram handle - a first-of-its-kind product that allows fans to place a Left Twix or Right Twix into any cup of hot coffee and pull out just the cookie, leaving them with a chocolatey, caramely coffee. 

Consumers can learn more about this surprising pairing and have the chance to receive a limited-edition Twix Meltdown device by following Twix on Instagram beginning April 25.

Saatchi Wellness has partnered with Calvary-St. George’s Parish to bring awareness to rising tide of homelessness amongst LGBTQ Teens in the US. As it stands, 40% of teens who come out to their parents are thrown out of their homes. 

This led to the creation of the 'Thrown Out Flag', transforming the traditional symbol of LGBTQ pride. This worn and tattered symbol has been draped over the shoulders of LGBTQ teens with stunning photographs shot by their contemporaries. These photos have been placed prominently in OOH across the country, in addition to a large billboard in New York's Times Square. 

Moving forward, the flags will be shipped to LGBTQ community centers across the country, giving them the opportunity to showcase their support for the cause. Made of discarded fabric in the traditional rainbow colors, it’s embraced by each teen in this outdoor poster campaign. Each stain, rip and tear represents their struggle. Each grasp of the fabric embodies their hope to find a new future of acceptance, tolerance and love.

Twinings, one of the world’s leading tea brands, is launching a new strategic and creative platform across the US to promote its herbal and wellness tea lines. This marks the first-ever advertising platform for Twinings Wellness Blends, which debuted on US shelves in late 2018, and the first all-digital marketing campaign for Twinings North America.

The platform was created by independent advertising agency Terri & Sandy, named Twinings’ North American agency of record last September. The new campaign, called 'From 1706 & Beyond,' celebrates Twinings’ rich heritage, as the brand dates back over 300 years. The story unfolds with the founder, Thomas Twining, at the helm. However, it takes an unexpectedly modern twist as the enthusiastic English visionary proves to be humorously ahead of his time.

Original video content takes viewers back to the Twinings Tea Room of 1706. The setting pays homage to the first London tea room, which was actually founded by Thomas Twining. The Twinings Tea Room would become an epicenter of social life, where people came together to sip and mingle. Here, Thomas Twining shares bold proclamations about his future Herbal and Wellness blends to a room full of patrons. The teas — with ingredients like turmeric, hibiscus and camomile — are a few centuries ahead of the blends to which the townspeople are accustomed. Thomas is comically misunderstood but takes their responses in stride. Like any true innovator, he presses forward with confidence.

Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) is celebrating its 25 years anniversary with the launch of the #PeoplesOfTheForest campaign to boost support for the indigenous, Quilombola, riparian and extractivist communities who are resisting attacks on their rights and the destruction of their lands.

The peoples of the forest have a message for the Brazilian government, politicians and the business community. To prospectors, loggers, squatters and other invaders of their lands: "we will continue to resist." This is one of the main messages of the #PeoplesOfTheForest campaign, ISA and its partners in the indigenous, Quilombola, riparian and extractivist communities have launched online, on TV and in cinemas.

The campaign is asking for people to support the fight to protect Brazil's environmental heritage and is advocating for the rights of indigenous tribes and traditional populations.

Young people, women, medicine men, chiefs and shamans. The protagonists for the #PeoplesOfTheForest campaign are 25 leaders from nine indigenous tribes in the Amazon, from Quilombola communities in Vale do Ribeira (SP) and from riparian communities in Terra do Meio, Pará. With their strength and beauty, the campaign honors the diversity of the people living in and protecting the forests, reminding us that it is the forests that regulate the climate, produce rain for farming and house the planet's largest biodiversity, a potential source of new medications and cures.

Produced in partnership with the J. Walter Thompson Brasil agency and Prodigo Films, a film production company, the #PeoplesOfTheForest marks the 25th anniversary of the ISA and serves as a response from the organization and its historical partners to the setbacks, dissolutions and constitutional violations of socio-environmental policies and of the guarantees of human rights that is ongoing in Brazil.