Creative Corner: JD X Nike X Louis Theroux, Chupa Chups impossible lollipop and Fotografiska makes mini billboards

From sneaker culture and sweet-brand satire to a clever critique of social media, this week’s Creative Corner celebrates ideas that flip the script and play with cultural insight.

Nike and JD tap Louis Theroux to spotlight the enduring influence of the Air Max 95, connecting generations of UK street culture. Chupa Chups turns a long-running fan frustration into a viral stunt by creating its hardest-to-open lollipop ever. And in Stockholm, Fotografiska shrinks legendary photography to phone-sized billboards to remind us how much beauty is lost in the endless scroll. Three campaigns, each proving that sometimes the smartest creative move is to do the unexpected.

Nike rolls out Theroux to celebrate the OGs

Few sneakers carry the cultural weight of the Nike Air Max 95 OG Neon. First released in 1995, the instantly recognisable silhouette has long been a staple of UK street style, bridging music, fashion and everyday life. Now, the icon returns for 2026, and to mark its return JD has rolled out an unexpected frontman: Louis Theroux.

A left-field choice but one that makes immediate sense. Theroux’s cross-generational relevance and uncanny knack for connecting with youth culture mirrors the staying power of the Air Max 95 itself.

A legend of the 90’s rave scene, the Air Max 95 was synonymous with the terraces of the North of England and Theroux is fittingly joined by rising Liverpool MC Kasst 8, streamer Angry Ginge and the Bov Boys’ Jakey and Heinz.

The campaign began quietly with a mysterious teaser: a stockroom stacked high with Air Max boxes, shared across JD’s socials without explanation. The narrative unfolded through locker deliveries tied to branded InPost locations, where familiar names across music and culture received duffle bags and OG pairs.

Soundtracking it all is Kasst 8’s track ‘They’re Called 110s’, a nod to the nickname the Air Max 95 earned in Liverpool, referencing its original £110 price tag.

Relaunching the Air Max 95 always needed to feel more than just another sneaker drop. In casting Theroux alongside rising Northern talent, JD has successfully created a multigenerational tribute to UK street culture.

Chupa Chups creates the “impossible” lollipop

The struggle of detaching a Chupa Chups wrapper from its stick is real.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve given up and left it dangling to soak up the sticky residue from the fruity lollipop that sits atop. But there is always hope, and finally, Chupa Chups has responded to this Reddit thread conundrum with a twist.

Chupa Chups has unveiled a new, easier-to-open wrapper. Hurrah! But, it has hidden it inside the hardest-to-open lollipop it has ever made.

Dubbed the “Final Boss” of Chupa Chups, the lollipop is sealed inside an almost absurd level of protection: a carbon composite shell, aramid fibre wrapping, silicon carbide coating and a final dip in liquid rubber. The resulting packaging is both blade-proof and flame-proof and possibly human-proof too.

A content bombshell waiting to explode, Chupa Chups detonated this viral dream by sending the impenetrable lollipops to creators known for pushing objects to their limits. Among them are viral YouTubers The Hydraulic Press Channel and prank-loving content creator Kenny Deuss, both tasked with attempting to crack the lollipop armour.

The campaign launched with a playful social film showing the new wrapper buried beneath layers of industrial-strength packaging, posted in response to years of online complaints about stubborn Chupa Chups wrappers.

Announcing a new Chupa Chups wrapper that can finally be opened would have created conversation in itself by leaning in to fans’ frustrations, and doing the complete opposite has ensured Chupa Chups fandom has reached new levels and probably brought a few new ones into the fold, too.

Fotografiska shrinks photography to billboard size, on purpose

Mobiles and social feeds have long made everyone feel like a budding photographer, but in an age where attention becomes fleeting, great photography is often reduced to a quick scroll. In response, Fotografiska Stockholm is encouraging people to look a little closer.

In a kick back to social media confined imagery, to promote its latest exhibitions, the photography museum has launched an eye-catching outdoor campaign featuring the work of legendary photographer Elliott Erwitt. But instead of enlarging the images for maximum impact, the billboards display them at the tiny size of a smartphone screen.

Placed across open outdoor spaces, the miniature photos are almost impossible to see unless you step right up and squint. The deliberate design illustrates the campaign’s central message: “Photography deserves more than your feed.”

The idea playfully critiques how visual culture is increasingly consumed on small screens. By shrinking Erwitt’s iconic photographs to phone-sized proportions, the campaign highlights just how much detail, emotion and craft is lost in the endless scroll of social media.

The hope is that curiosity, and a little frustration, will encourage passers-by to seek out the real thing inside the museum too. I hope so.

That wraps up another edition of Creative Corner.

As always, if you're working on something that deserves the spotlight, or you've seen a campaign worth sharing, drop us a line: paul.lucas@fanclubpr.com