From Shelter hitting home on the cost-of-living crisis to a nostalgic throwback from the British Heart Foundation, here are the advertising campaigns from the creative world that stood out to us in September 2022.

It's no surprise that the death of Queen Elizabeth II had a major impact on marketing and advertising campaigns in September. Following the late Monarch's passing, many brands and media owners took the decision to pause current campaigns and put scheduled content on hold until after the period of mourning.

The impact was perhaps most noticeable on OOH digital billboards and advertising displays. Up and down the country, the usual vibrant ads were replaced with sombre tributes. On the day of her funeral, many screens simple displayed her insignia with the dates 1926-2022.

As the mourning period ended, paused campaigns were relaunched, delayed content was published and the advertising industry continued in the new Carolean era.

Here, we take a closer look at some of the most impactful campaigns of September 2022.

Campaign #1: The Gym Group – Gym Face

Brand The Gym Group

Agency Lucky Generals

Medium – TV

Do you suffer from ‘gymtimidation,’ – a lack of confidence when working out? I, personally, don’t care what I look like when I’m in the gym, but according to research by The Gym Group, it’s a major reason for why people don’t join. Cue their new campaign, ‘Gym Face.’

The ad (which I first saw between bread disasters during Bake Off,) asks the nation to embrace their ‘gym face.’ The ad begins with a gymgoer bemoaning that ‘everyone looks so good.’ An instructor quickly reassures them by saying that everyone has a gym face.

Over an upbeat track and visual representations, a voiceover takes us through the different ‘types’ of face you’ll likely see in the gym, including the expected “sweaty face,” “treadmill face,” and “dumbbell” face, and the little more unconventional “just broke up with Bryan,” “total constipation face,” and “have I changed my tampon face?”

At the end of the ad, the gymgoer has conquered her fear of ‘gymtimidation’ and is happy to be pulling her own ‘gym face.’

The ad has been created by Lucky Generals, and is part of a new brand platform called ‘We’re with you,’ which is intended to encourage gym-goers and break down barriers for new members wanting to take their first step.

Campaign #2: Vorboss – London Without Limits

Brand Vorboss

Agency Bountiful Cow

Creative Studio West Ventures

Medium – TV

London-based telecommunications company Vorboss have gone all-out (no pun intended) with their latest OOH campaign. As the UK’s only dedicated enterprise fibre network, and the only Internet Service Provider to offer 10Gbps as a minimum, Vorboss has partnered with creative studio West Venture and media agency Bountiful Cow to reach the hard-to-target business decision makers across the capital.

Supported by audio, digital, and business new media, Vorboss’s campaign included hyper-premium digital and rail and tube formats, large roadside banners, screens in over 60 office buildings, 13 wrapped taxis, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Ok, there might not be a partridge, but they have also branded construction site hoardings in an effort to send a message that Vorboss is building the new standard for London, without limits.

Campaign #3: Papa John’s – Planet Chorizo

Brand Papa John’s

Agency Atomic London

Production Studio Sticker Studios

Medium – TV

Is Toy Story’s Pizza Planet real? Unfortunately, not but Papa John’s is launching you to ‘Planet Chorizo’ - an extra-terrestrial world of fashion, flavour and of course love for chorizo-topping pizza!

The pizza restaurant chain went viral last year when they decided to replace their cheese topping from mozzarella to the nation’s favourite cheddar. This year their substituting pepperoni with its taste-thrilling counterpart chorizo. They have showcased their limited time offering through spot ad ‘Planet Chorizo’ created by Atomic London with production house Sticker Studios.

Following the current Gen-Z obsession with space-age fashion and incorporating the ‘unearthly’ flavour of chorizo. The ad sees a woman reaching for a slice of chorizo pizza shown on her TV before being transported to another dimension – Planet Chorizo. The destination is amplified with meaty flowers and inhabited with several stylish intergalactic aliens, one of which gives the tourist a box of the delicious – you guessed it – chorizo pizza.

Campaign #4: The Co-Operative Bank – Withdraw from This

BrandThe Co-Operative Bank

Agency Dentsu Creative

Medium - TV

‘Join the fight against climate change with The Co-Operative bank’ is the underlying message of their new dramatic ad campaign “Withdraw From This”.

Produced by ad agency Dentsu Creative, the advert, shows a customer taking money out of an ATM just before the walls of the bank collapses to reveal the journey their bank notes have been on. The notes hover through devastating climate disasters caused by the fossil fuel industry and are finally dispensed into the customer’s hand.

A voiceover then asks “Do you know where your bank invests your money? It could be logging in the Amazon. Or coal-fired power stations. It’s time to Withdraw From This.”

The hard-hitting advert ends by asking its audience to join The Co-Operative bank which hasn’t financed fossil fuel for over 20 years. Published on the 21st of September, the ad will run for three months across TV, VOD, OOH, digital and social media.

Campaign #5: Shelter – Cost of Living Hacks

BrandShelter

Medium - OOH

Shelter – Cost of Living Hacks

‘Turn those ready-for-the-bin bananas into banana bread’, ‘just work more hours’ and ‘reuse your old teabags’ are just some of the excessive hacks suggested by the media and politicians to cope with the increased cost-of-living.

However, Shelter’s new campaign contrasts satirical cost-of-living hacks with their alternative ‘hack’: that the government takes responsibility for the crisis and makes housing more affordable.

The campaign was developed after a recent report revealed that almost one-in-seven (1.1 million) private renters in England experienced a rent increase in the last month as well as a rise in emergency calls from people on the struggling to keep a roof over their heads due to the increased housing bills.

Designed by the Shelter’s in-house creative team, the campaign uses hacks illustrated by Federica Martini and was published via social media, online and outdoor platforms on the 26th of September.

Campaign #6: British Heart Foundation – The Noisy Generation

BrandBritish Heart Foundation

Agency Saatchi & Saatchi London

Production Nexus Studios

Medium TV

We’re taking it back to the 60s with the British Heart Foundation’s new ad campaign ‘The Noisy Generation’. While most charities take a sombre approach to inspire donations from the boomer generation, the BHF conveys a more upbeat outlook with the launch of this 60-second commercial.

Created by Nexus Studios and Mischa Rozema along with Saatchi & Saatchi London, the spot transports viewers on a nostalgic journey through some of the most impactful events of the 60s and 70s. The commercial opens at a reconstruction of a Slade gig with the crowd changing to represent key cultural moments such as the women’s rights marches, the anti-war movement and – of course – the first heart transplant, all of which are spearheaded by the British rock anthem ‘Cum on Feel the Noize

The ad then turns to modern day and a woman sitting alone contemplating her will with the voice-over stating: “We were a noisy generation, but it might be something quiet that we do that becomes our greatest legacy” as the scene switches to a heart research facility.

Campaign #7: PRESS Healthfoods: ExPRESS Yourself

Brand PRESS Healthfoods

Plant-based nutrition brand, PRESS Healthfoods has released an empowering and joyful campaign ‘ExPRESS Yourself’ to align with a total brand refresh across all socials, website and advertising platforms.

The campaign is designed to encourage audiences to ExPRESS themselves through the power of health and celebrate how unique health is.

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Campaign #8: Twirl: You Don’t see This ad

BrandCadbury

Agency VCCP London

Twirl: You Don’t see This ad

Cadbury partnered with UK agency, VCCP London to celebrate the launch of one the most anticipated chocolate bars of the year, Twirl Caramel.

In a bid to #controlthehype and avoid customer disappointment as the new flavour is expected to sell out in record fashion, Cadbury is going completely against the norms of advertising and instead is hiding its adverts!

A series of OOH activity is running in unexpected places across the country, and eagle-eyed chocolate fans are urged to be on the lookout to get their chocolate paws on the limited-edition bar.

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