When brands throw out the rule book

Two recent ads from E45 and Specsavers stood out this week due to their stark contrast to previous campaigns. This prompted Creative Moment to examine other examples of off-piste brand outings.

In the world of advertising, consistency is king. Or so the experts claim. A brand’s ‘formula’ isn’t just a catchy tagline or a familiar jingle; it’s the aesthetic and emotion they bring that keeps you watching through familiarity, like that comforting beverage you pick up out of habit at your favourite coffee shop.

Every so often, however, a brand tosses the recipe book out the window.

IKEA: Swapping sarcasm for Shakespearean surreality

IKEA’s ad game has long been the envy of the retail world: witty, relatable vignettes that poke fun at domestic chaos while showcasing their blue-and-yellow stores’ wares.

Remember the couple arguing over a wonky Billy bookcase, or the dad fumbling a meatball-fuelled family dinner? It’s a masterclass in down-to-earth humour that screams “We’re just like like you” (when you have a tape measure in hand at least).

IKEA’s style, honed since the ‘90s, keeps things light, affordable, and aspirationally messy. That is until 2014’s ‘Beds: The Dream’, landed.

The 90-second fever dream is part Wes Anderson, part Shakespeare. Directed by Juan Cabral, the ad follows a woman leaping from a wrought-iron bed frame suspended in the cosmos, tumbling through starry voids and surreal landscapes.

As she free-falls, the voice of Prunella Scales (of ‘Fawlty Towers’ fame) recites lines from ‘The Tempest’: “Our revels now are ended... We are such stuff as dreams are made on.”

It’s poetic, otherworldly, and utterly devoid of flat-pack instructions. We’re here for it.

Old Spice: from grandpas to the grandiose

Old Spice was the poster child for dusty irrelevance in the early 2000s. Its ads might’ve shown buff young dudes, but you knew the product was really only used by beer bellied dads full of regret.

These staid testimonials to middle age needed a rethink. And we got one. In 2010, they unleashed ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ starring Isaiah Mustafa as a shirtless, towel-snapping parody of masculinity (later the inimitable Terry Crews took on a similar role)

Surreal humour, celebrity cameos, and interactive social blasts gave the brand a real sense of self-awareness, turning viewers into participants.

Here are some classic examples:

Burger King: making gross-out grand again

Burger King’s ads have historically been a sort of fast-food fever dream: expect sizzling hunks of beef, secret sauces, and joyful scenes.

What the hell was up with the 2020 ‘Mouldy Whopper’ campaign then? This stark time-lapse showing a Whopper rotting over 34 days: no preservatives, just natural decay, was pure provocation.

The ad got a fair bit of backlash, with viewers complaining it was “appetite-killing”. The buzz, however, was bigger. It snagged a Cannes Lions and drove a 14% sales spike in premium burgers. All hail the drive-thru rebel.

Specsavers: From punny blunders to heart-tugging family drama

Back to the present now, and it’s clear Specsavers has mastered the art of the mic-drop punchline.

For over two decades, their ads have revolved around the iconic “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” tagline, delivering quick-witted sketches of everyday mishaps caused by poor eyesight.

But just when we thought they were mastering the medium, they go and switch it up on us.

We’re talking, of course, about the recent ‘Aunty’ campaign: a tender, narrative-driven ad that trades laughs for… aunts.

A spate of brands, including EE, have recently put a spotlight on niche, but important cultural issues, and Specsavers can add its name to the list thanks to this about-turn.

The ad balances humour and cultural sensitivity, demonstrating the brand’s breadth. Glaucoma can develop slowly over time without obvious symptoms, meaning many don’t realise there’s a problem until irreversible damage to their vision has already been done. But the agents of this message can come in unexpected forms.

E45: From soothing simplicity to trans trailblazing

E45’s advertising has long been a masterclass in understated empathy. Their formula? Soft-focus visuals of cracked, itchy skin transforming into smooth relief, paired with gentle voice-overs about “caring for your skin” and “everyday moments.”

This calm, clinical, and comforting aesthetic seemed ripe for disruption, however. And disrupt they did. Its 2025 trans-inclusive campaign, a bold leap from their usual fare, features a trans person navigating their morning routine, applying E45 cream to scars and skin with quiet confidence, while a voiceover speaks to “caring for the skin you’re in, whoever you are.”

You can read more about the ad here.