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In this week’s ad spot, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam positioned African football as a counterpoint to what the campaign framed as an increasingly rigid modern game. Built around the familiar refrain that “the game’s gone”, the work responded by asking where it had gone instead, placing flair, improvisation and joy at the centre of its storytelling. Jay-Jay Okocha functioned less as a celebrity endorser and more as a narrative anchor, guiding viewers through a film that juxtaposed formal football structures with informal, expressive play. By assembling professional players, grassroots talent and creators from across Africa and the diaspora, the campaign used spectacle to make a cultural argument: that freedom and individuality remain central to football’s appeal, even as elite systems grow more standardised.
Apple Pay’s holiday campaign featuring Stanley Tucci took a quieter, observational approach, using food as a social connector rather than a visual spectacle. Directed in a semi-improvised style, the films followed Tucci shopping, cooking and eating with Italian nonnas, allowing everyday interactions to carry the narrative. The presence of Apple Pay was woven into routine moments of transaction, functioning as a background enabler rather than a focal point. Storytelling here relied on intimacy and pacing, with humour and warmth emerging from unscripted exchanges and cultural familiarity. By grounding the campaign in small-town settings and shared meals, the work framed technology as a facilitator of connection, using personal ritual rather than product demonstration to carry its message.
Etsy’s 2025 holiday campaign, created by Orchard, centred its storytelling on recognition rather than surprise. Set within a single school community, the films linked multiple narratives through small, observed behaviours that were often overlooked. Each story used gifting as a response to being noticed, from a child’s restless tapping to a crossing guard’s quiet reliability. The campaign avoided heightened festive tropes, opting instead for restrained, character-led storytelling that unfolded through everyday routines. By focusing on minor details and recurring habits, the work framed gifting as an act of attention rather than consumption. The narrative structure reinforced this idea by building a shared world, where meaning emerged from continuity and familiarity rather than standalone moments.
Here is a list of all the ads that stood out this week.