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 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 -
Courtesy of Manscaped
ColumnCampaign Trail: Manscaped envisions ‘the boys’ as mini-mes in branding push
The male grooming brand known for raunchy innuendo leans on Pereira O’Dell and a striking visual metaphor as it reaches beyond performance marketing.
By Chris Kelly • March 15, 2024 -
Courtesy of Kayak
ColumnCampaign Trail: Kayak shows limits of DIY with absurd, AI-powered ads
Despite using AI at nearly every stage of the creative process, Supernatural’s Paul Caiozzo says, “AI is not magic — it's just people using different tools.”
By Chris Kelly • March 1, 2024 -
Courtesy of CeraVe
ColumnCampaign Trail: CeraVe got weird with Michael Cera to win the Super Bowl
Led by Ogilvy PR North America, the social- and influencer-focused campaign used earned media to amplify the brand’s first big game ad.
By Chris Kelly • Feb. 16, 2024 -
Courtesy of Teleflora
ColumnCampaign Trail: Teleflora tells real stories to overcome love cynicism
The floral delivery service and the in-house agency at parent The Wonderful Company used a documentary approach to prove that romance isn't dead.
By Chris Kelly • Feb. 2, 2024 -
Retrieved from Dr. Squatch on January 18, 2024
ColumnCampaign Trail: Dr. Squatch uses hypnosis to inspire ‘Big Bricc Energy’
The digitally native men’s grooming brand goes beyond raunchy puns to address men's mental health through hypnotic videos.
By Chris Kelly • Jan. 19, 2024 -
Dec 28, 2023; Orlando, FL, USA; Pop Tart mascot signals the end of the celebration after the game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
ColumnCampaign Trail: Pop-Tarts’ edible mascot made ‘ultimate sacrifice’ to win bowl season
The Kellanova brand dominated social media with a game-day activation that embraced dark, weird humor.
By Chris Kelly • Jan. 5, 2024 -
Courtesy of Campbell Soup Company
ColumnCampaign Trail: Snyder’s pretzels save gingerbread people from houses made of themselves
The effort includes a PSA-style spot for YouTube and social video that riffs on a macabre observation about a longstanding holiday tradition.
By Chris Kelly • Dec. 15, 2023 -
Courtesy of Steak-umm
ColumnCampaign Trail: How Steak-umm deepfaked real vegans into meat eaters
Created with agency Tombras, “DeepSteaks” arrives as generative AI makes it even easier for bad actors to manipulate peoples’ likenesses.
By Chris Kelly • Dec. 1, 2023
