September Campaigns of the Month

The end of September marks the beginning of Autumn, and with the changing of the seasons, people naturally tend to do two things: take a look back on the season just gone, and start looking ahead at what’s to come. Nearly all the campaigns we’ve highlighted this month lean into the former, getting nostalgic and throwing back to simpler times. But before we get into all that, here’s a campaign featuring dogs wearing funky human clothes. Enjoy.

Okay, so not a collaboration we had on our 2026 bingo card, but we’re here for it nonetheless. Lloyds Pet Insurance have teamed up with fashion label Chopova Lowena for a pretty bonkers campaign that sees man’s best friend clad head-to-paw in some… let’s just call it unexpected attire. The campaign launches “an exclusive collection for pets without pet insurance” and highlights the importance of protecting our pets against everyday risks. There’s the ‘Airbag Puffer’ jacket for road safety; the ‘Fall Suit’ to protect from great heights; and finally, the ‘Anti-theft Shell’ to ward off pet thieves. Chopova Lowena even sent some furry friends down the runway at London Fashion Week dressed in their latest canine collection. It’s memorable, funny, arguably adorable, and it caught our eye here at Holdens.

It’s about time Bob the Builder got off his backside and started building stuff again. After 15 years, Bob’s back in business, and this time he’s teamed up with E.ON Next to build a brighter future supporting the UK’s energy transition and help us save on our bills. (Good old Bob, fighting the good fight, as per.) The original voice of Bob the Builder – Neil Morrissey – is back reprising his role as the nation’s favourite cartoon construction worker for the first time since 2011. TV cameos and rehashing old characters doesn’t always work for ad campaigns, but this time, we’re giving Britain’s beloved builder our blessing.

You can’t go anywhere these days without somebody saying something about AI, and particularly ChatGPT. And while the rest of the world seems hung up on the idea that AI could end humanity in as little as two years, OpenAI are on a mission to prove that anyone, young and old, can use their conversational feature, ChatGPT Voice. Their latest ad sees three elderly women putting ChatGPT Voice through its paces, tasking it to build websites, book appointments and manage their subscriptions. The ad has a vintage feel about it, from the colour palette to the font style to the, erm… cast itself, in stark contrast to most AI-related ad campaigns, which tend to have an overtly futuristic feel to them.

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned piece of print marketing in the form of a giant billboard in the centre of London. Especially when it’s as bold as this one. It comes from non-profit Online Responsibility Network who are helping us look after our ‘digital diet’ by launching a trust mark to identify brands and platforms committed to improving online safety. But what makes this one a decent print campaign? For us, it’s the old-school, Ogilvy-esque layout and copy: a plain white background with a big, somewhat confusing, image, prompting us to read a snappy piece of copy that tells us everything we need to know. The eye goes from left to right, image to copy, leaving you with a sense of having consumed a clever, compact piece of marketing – lovely stuff. Plus, it nods to the legendary “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” piracy crime campaign from the mid-2000s (millennials will know the one).

Charlie Bigham’s strips things back with their latest ad, encouraging us to slow down and notice the details, both in life and food. Much like the ChatGPT Voice ad above, this 20-second ad has a rustic feel about it that’s like a breath of fresh air compared to most modern-day ads. With its vintage-camcorder vibes and shots of a sun-kissed seascape, wicker-basket bicycle and fresh lemon being carefully sliced, there isn’t a mobile phone or robot in sight. It’s a reminder that some of the finer things in life – including flavoursome food – are worth waiting for; hence the tagline: “Slowly does it”.

The common theme of this month’s campaigns seems to be throwing back to simpler times. Apart from the Lloyds x Chopova Lowena campaign (which we couldn’t not include) the rest have an old-school kind of feel about them that feels ironically fresh in this day and age. However, as with most trends, they can soon start to feel overdone, meaning brands need to find a fresh take if they’re hoping to stand out – which is sort of the point of an ad campaign, when you think about it.

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for an agency to deliver work that’ll stop people in their tracks, we’d love to help. Get in touch with the team and let’s create something worth talking about.