Campaign Trail
Campaign Trail is Marketing Dive's look at some of the best new creative efforts from the marketing world.
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Courtesy of Billie
ColumnCampaign Trail: Billie takes the icks and anxieties out of bath time
In product-focused ads, the Edgewell brand stays true to its tradition of showing women’s lives in a way that transcends usual portrayals.
By Chris Kelly • March 21, 2025 -
Permission granted by Vincent Peone
ColumnCampaign Trail: How Hollywood stunt pros pulled off an Oscars ad stunt
Samsung, L’Oréal and Carnival were among the brands featured in ads created by Disney Advertising, Kimmelot and Maximum Effort.
By Chris Kelly • March 7, 2025 -
Courtesy of Sprite
ColumnCampaign Trail: Sprite locks in NBA stars Anthony Edwards, Kevin Garnett
Johannes Leonardo helped craft a social-first campaign that captures true-to-life conversations between stars from different generations.
By Chris Kelly • Feb. 21, 2025 -
Courtesy of Coca-Cola
ColumnCampaign Trail: Coca-Cola travels across decades to tell a family story
Led by agency Majority, the “Westside’s Finest” campaign captures how the marketer’s portfolio and the world have evolved over the years.
By Chris Kelly • Feb. 7, 2025 -
Courtesy of Dove
ColumnCampaign Trail: Dove’s iconic Beauty Bar is a canvas for celebration
Ogilvy’s “Unready for Anything” campaign for the Unilever brand flips the “get ready with me” trend on its head.
By Chris Kelly • Jan. 24, 2025 -
Courtesy of Dollar Shave Club
ColumnCampaign Trail: Dollar Shave Club gets back to its disruptive roots
The direct-to-consumer trailblazer is updating its irreverent streak after a period at Unilever that “neutered” the brand’s edginess, per CEO Larry Bodner.
By Chris Kelly • Jan. 10, 2025 -
Courtesy of Olipop
ColumnCampaign Trail: Olipop gets in on holiday cheer with stop-motion yetis
CMO Matt Bruhn explained how the better-for-you brand disrupted Big Soda holiday advertising alongside indie agency Callen.
By Chris Kelly • Dec. 20, 2024 -
Courtesy of Lavazza
ColumnCampaign Trail: Lavazza’s coffee-serving robot dreams of la dolce vita
To establish itself as a global brand with Italian DNA, Lavazza enlisted a cute robot — and former “Office” mates Steve Carell and John Krasinski.
By Chris Kelly • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Courtesy of Totino's
ColumnCampaign Trail: Totino’s spaces out with ‘I Think You Should Leave’ crew
The General Mills brand and Dentsu Creative — with the help of an animatronic alien — took an entertainment-first approach to deliver a value message.
By Chris Kelly • Nov. 15, 2024 -
Courtesy of Taco Bell
ColumnCampaign Trail: Taco Bell takes on ‘Big Chicken’ through family debates
Fans of the chain’s Cantina Chicken menu are pitted against “trachickenalists” in ads that pitch the QSR as a chicken destination like KFC and Chick-fil-A.
By Chris Kelly • Nov. 1, 2024 -
Retrieved from Hello on October 16, 2024
ColumnCampaign Trail: Colgate-Palmolive’s Hello makes mundane routines more magical
Indie agency Walrus worked to find a “Goldilocks zone” between fantasy and real life in playful spots for toothpaste and deodorant.
By Chris Kelly • Oct. 18, 2024 -
Courtesy of Campbell Soup Company
ColumnCampaign Trail: Campbell’s Chunky celebrates beefy hunks like Jason Kelce
Created with Leo Burnett, a new campaign finds humor by having football players enjoy “the soup that eats like a meal” at a gym and on a bearskin rug.
By Chris Kelly • Oct. 4, 2024 -
Courtesy of PepsiCo Beverages North America
ColumnCampaign Trail: Brisk Iced Tea brings back classic claymation with Doja Cat
A campaign that rebooted the brand’s iconic ads for Gen Z will run until Dec. 15 on streaming video and social channels like TikTok, Meta and Snapchat.
By Chris Kelly • Sept. 20, 2024 -
Courtesy of Hellmann's
ColumnCampaign Trail: Hellmann’s turns NFL star’s mayo love into fragrance
Will Levis, who went viral for putting the condiment into coffee, is the name and face of the world’s first “parfum de mayonnaise” in an effort by Edelman.
By Chris Kelly • Sept. 6, 2024 -
Courtesy of USCellular
ColumnCampaign Trail: UScellular calls out smartphone ironies with Alanis Morissette
In a campaign from AOR The Martin Agency, the fourth-largest wireless network continues its efforts to get consumers to turn off their phones.
By Chris Kelly • Aug. 23, 2024 -
Courtesy of Cafe Bustelo
ColumnCampaign Trail: Café Bustelo gives its animated world an icy makeover
As the J.M. Smucker brand brings iced coffee to the refrigerated aisle, new spots by BBH USA give a chilly remix to recent marketing.
By Chris Kelly • Aug. 9, 2024 -
Courtesy of Palo Alto Networks
ColumnCampaign Trail: Palo Alto Networks equips Keanu Reeves with AI-powered weapons
The cybersecurity firm recruited a Hollywood team to prove that B2B marketing doesn't have to mean “business-to-boring.”
By Chris Kelly • July 26, 2024 -
Courtesy of Citroën
ColumnCampaign Trail: Citroën’s revolution liberates electric vehicles from elites
The Stellantis automaker updated the French Revolution with an anachronistic spot from agency BETC that recalls Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette.”
By Chris Kelly • July 12, 2024 -
Courtesy of Coca-Cola
ColumnCampaign Trail: Coca-Cola spills soda to focus on moments of connection
David Miami took the attention off the iconic brand entirely and gave it to true-to-life human interactions in the latest iteration of the “Real Magic” platform.
By Chris Kelly • June 21, 2024 -
Courtesy of Crayola
ColumnCampaign Trail: Crayola reunites adults with childhood art to spur creativity
In partnership with Dentsu Creative, the effort features a tear-jerking short film that shows the power of creative self-expression across generations.
By Chris Kelly • June 7, 2024 -
Courtesy of Essentia Water
ColumnCampaign Trail: Essentia plays H.O.R.S.E. on a horse with Jimmy Butler
To launch its flavored-but-functional Hydroboost line, the Nestlé marketer teamed with Droga5 and an unorthodox NBA star.
By Chris Kelly • May 24, 2024 -
Courtesy of Bacardí
ColumnCampaign Trail: Bacardí drinks from fountain of youth with Camila Cabello
Made with BBDO New York, the rum brand’s latest “Do What Moves You” spot literalizes how sound moves everyone and everything.
By Chris Kelly • May 10, 2024 -
Courtesy of Sheetz
ColumnCampaign Trail: Sheetz encourages fans to unleash their inner Freakz
Consumer ids come to life as red plushies in ads from Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners that marry value propositions and human truths.
By Chris Kelly • April 26, 2024 -
Courtesy of StreetEasy
ColumnCampaign Trail: StreetEasy illustrates house-hunting odyssey as Renaissance art
Created with Mother New York, “Let The Journey Begin” imagines the steps of buying a home in New York City in the style of Renaissance frescoes.
By Chris Kelly • April 12, 2024 -
Courtesy of Skims
ColumnCampaign Trail: Skims clones Kim Kardashian for first TV push
Created with Wieden + Kennedy, the cinematic effort looks to launch the shapewear brand for a national audience with a bold but playful story.
By Chris Kelly • March 29, 2024
