The most innovative creative campaigns of 2020

1. Apple's whole WFH thing

The whole working-from-home thing’ is Apple’s sequel to last year’s ad 'Apple’s ‘Underdogs’, only this time it’s showcasing how their products come to life in the world of working from home.

"The ad is more like a mini Hollywood film. At seven minutes long, you’re still left wanting more. A mixture of perfect craftsmanship spliced with products across Apple’s range."

It's rare to hold attention with charm, humour and total engagement. It's also uncommon to do what they did - in the way they did it - so we think it belongs here with innovative ideas as they stepped away from norms but maintained the aims of the brief with total engagement and flawless execution.

Full review by Saatchi & Saatchi's Ryan Wheeler here.

2. Bud's reincarnation of the classic Whassup ad

You know it is a good idea when it is recycled over and over and each time it's a success.

Budweiser's Whassup ad was originally created in 1999 and ran until 2002, until it was resurrected for 2020 in light of the situation we all found ourselves in.

It's a bit special that the core idea worked not once, or twice but three times, all fitting in and perfectly and accurately reflecting the mood of the moment. 

The first one in 1999 we all know about.

The second incarnation shows the familiar group in slightly less enviable circumstances eight years after the original.

It's heavily critical of the presidency of George W. Bush and was a clear endorsement of the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

It is based on the problems financially, physically, and socially the characters are experiencing, ending with a TV shot of Barack and Michelle Obama with the lead guy replying to the familiar phrase Whassup with the answer 'Change, that's whassup, change' signalling the hope for a new beginning.

And the third variation, created in 2020, was adapted to show life in quarantine with a message about checking on your friends during lonely times of isolation.

Portland's creative director Leila Mountford shared her thoughts on this back in April 2020 here.

3. Earl of East's 'Scents of Normality' reminds the nation of its favourite smells

"The simplest but smartest campaign to come out of the lockdown crisis, that wasn’t directly linked to helping our brave and committed NHS workers or the community.

For good reason most brands rallied towards the Covid crisis and wanted to find all the ways they could help, but most also forgot a full range of consumers sitting at home.

Was it right? Totally!

We are human first and should show compassion, comradery and community in times of hardship. It’s very clear that a vast range of consumers will now make purchasing decisions based on which brands behaved well during the lockdown.

However, as much as we don’t want to admit it, we have all mourned our old lives, the holidays we’ve cancelled and just pure normality."

More from MSL's Kim Allain on this innovative campaign, and the campaign background here.

4. IKEA's meatball recipe cards

"Week six of a Covid-19 imposed lockdown, and the light at the end of the tunnel gets a little dimmer with every passing government announcement.

The tone of collective social media feeds across the nation get that little more melancholy as the delights of the outside world seem farther and farther away.

So, to combat cabin fever and bring a little wonderful into people's everyday lives, IKEA worked with Hope&Glory to release a certain meatball recipe to the world – encouraging people to get creative in their home and helping raise a smile during the lockdown.

Feeding popular culture, the easy to follow recipe was packaged up in inimitable IKEA style with a six-step guide listing out exact measures and how-tos in making the delicious Swedish meatballs and cream sauce.

Releasing the recipe via IKEA's social media feeds and through some good old fashioned media relations, the news followed a series of announcements from IKEA around it supporting the community through Covid-19."

With some awards under its belt, including a Creative Moment Award, this idea was certainly a new approach that was warmly welcomed this year.

Read more here.

5. AMV BBDO's #wombstories with Bodyform breaks the culture of silence that reinforces taboos

"The #wombstories video tells only a few of the many complex and hidden stories.

From the burning down apartment of perimenopausal women, a monster ripping at an endometriosis sufferer’s uterus, a woman’s ‘flood gate’ moment during her period, and an unexpected sneeze, to the woman who has chosen not to have children and the often-turbulent journey of trying to conceive. 

These few womb stories chronicle the sometimes beautiful, sometimes brutal human side of the biology and physiology they experienced every day. And while only a handful of experiences are shown, they represent the billions of complex experiences - from hysterectomies, postpartum trauma, artificial menopause, being a trans-man, the list is long."

This innovative approach not only faces the truth head-on but embraces it and throws it back out to the world in a way that truly reflects the complicated reality for many women. The mix of media deepens the emotional connection for the viewer exposing the love/hate relationship women can have with their bodies.

Read more about the campaign here.

And take a look at our Q&A to find out even more about this campaign.

Listen to our podcast with ECD's Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott who created it.