This year’s Jealous List got quite a response from creatives near and far. Many weighed in on campaigns from agencies other than theirs that they found to be inspiring and wish they themselves had made.
So, here we are with round two, letting a few of those who didn’t make the first story have a say. Take a look and see if you agree with their choices.
Ikea, “Proudly Second Best” by David Madrig and Ingo Hamburg
Michael Rivera, chief creative officer, Upshot + AMP
This ad does simple so well. A quiet, peaceful vignette with one focus change shows how Ikea products are second only to the comfort of real human connection. It’s a pitch-perfect story that shows a massive global brand intimately connecting with people on what’s most important in life. Kinda wow. To own that space in a person’s head, and heart, if even for thirty seconds, feels almost as good as assembling a piece of Ikea furniture with no extra parts at the end.
Barbie (The Movie)
Mitchell Fait, partner and creative director, Gigasavvy
There is no denying that the Barbie movie’s promotional campaign was one of the strongest this year. There were Barbie-themed fashion collections, luggage lines, her iconic Dreamhouse was listed on Airbnb and let’s not forget the bright pink billboard with no images or words besides the film release date. But while everyone was talking about all the brand activations, the most genius marketing ploy of all for Mattel and the Barbie franchise was the movie itself! Why depend on a 30s spot when you have one hour and 54 minutes to take a doll that was once perceived as anti-feminist and turn her into the feminist icon of the century… now THAT’s the ad everyone should be talking about.
Ellie Lloyd, executive creative director, Glow
I cannot not give my jealous shout-out over to the Barbie Movie. Hands down they took over 2023 and made sure they were everywhere! As an agency that works closely in the entertainment space and a huge fan of the movie, I was thoroughly impressed and fangirling over all the marketing initiatives. My personal favorite was the brand partnership with Airbnb’s Malibu Barbie DreamHouse.
Cheetos, “Flamin’ Hot University featuring Megan Thee Stallion
Hope Farley, executive producer and co-founder, Adolescent Content
Megan Thee Stallion’s Flamin’ Hot University campaign with Cheetos was perfect for so many reasons. Not only was the spot featuring the queen of hot hilarious, but Frito-Lay created an exclusive line of merch with a portion of sales going back to her alma mater, Texas Southern University. The funds provide much-needed scholarships to students at HBCU’s.
Walmart, “Mean Girls Reunite” by Publicis Groupe agencies
Maria D’Amato, executive creative director, GSD&M
Nothing made me more jealous this year than seeing the cast of Mean Girls reunite for Walmart. The references went deep, as did the cameos. I think the teams behind this work may have actually made fetch happen, and for that, I will be forever jealous.
Black Women for Wellness, “Everything They Didn’t Tell You” by Area 23
Efrain Ayala, global creativity and diversity and inclusion director, Reckitt
This year I judged the Glass Lions for the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. And there’s a piece of work that lives rent free in my mind nearly six months later, Everything They Didn’t Tell You by Black Women for Wellness. Over 90% of expecting mothers turn to a single source for advice, the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. But with Black women’s health outcomes and birth mortality rates on the rise compared to white women, this campaign tackles a growing issue in a simple but most importantly impactful way—a book jacket to wrap around the number one pregnancy resource. It’s an elegant, simple and accessible solution to a deeply troubling issue. I’m jealous of how Black Women LA partnered with Area 23, part of the IPG Health Network to take on the goliath of pregnancy info to provide information to Black women that the book excluded. It’s now available in Black owned bookstores across the U.S. and on Amazon helping save lives with a simple paper book jacket.