July Campaigns of the Month

Last month, we could have been sat here having enjoyed a national bank holiday, celebrating England lifting the World Cup for the first time since 1966. Instead, we’re dusting ourselves off after another tournament that promised so much before ending in heartbreak. While football didn’t quite come home, the creativity surrounding it certainly delivered. July’s standout campaigns aren’t all football-related, but they share a common thread. They take familiar subjects, whether that’s artificial intelligence, engineering, health or supermarket shopping, and find fresh ways to make people stop, think and feel something.

Anthropic takes a refreshingly human approach to AI by focusing less on the technology itself and more on the questions it forces us to ask. Rather than promising a utopian future or leaning into sci-fi spectacle, the campaign embraces uncertainty, curiosity and responsibility. It positions AI as something that deserves thoughtful conversation instead of blind optimism or fear, creating a campaign that feels intelligent without becoming inaccessible. In a category full of noise, restraint becomes its greatest strength.

Honda brings its philosophy to life by giving dreams a physical form. Throughout the film, the dream is personified as a mysterious white gloopy blob that can be stretched, moulded and refined as ideas evolve. It moves effortlessly between technology and innovation, acting as a visual metaphor for the creative process behind Honda products. It’s a beautifully crafted piece of storytelling that transforms an abstract idea into something tangible, proving that great engineering starts long before anything reaches the production line.

Numan tackles an awkward subject with its usual confidence and humour. Its latest outdoor campaign plays on the double meaning of “semi” to promote treatment for erectile dysfunction, turning what could have been an uncomfortable conversation into something memorable and surprisingly light-hearted. It is a great example of how smart, culturally-aware copywriting can often do the heavy lifting. Simple, witty and impossible to ignore, it proves that even taboo topics can be handled with personality.

Who would have thought a month ago we’d be talking about Danny Murphy’s cat in one of the British Heart Foundation’s biggest campaigns of the year? Certainly not us. One of the strangest moments of the World Cup came when commentator Murphy unexpectedly drifted into a story about his childhood cat during a hydration break, creating an instant viral moment that dominated social media. Rather than letting it pass, the British Heart Foundation moved quickly, cleverly reframing the story to raise awareness of the three minutes it takes for someone to die from heart and circulatory disease. It’s a brilliant example of reactive marketing done properly, taking something the nation was already talking about and giving it genuine purpose.

Sainsbury’s taps into one of football’s most recognisable phrases with a campaign built around “squeaky bum time”, the expression Sir Alex Ferguson famously used to describe the nerve-shredding closing stages of a match. Reimagined as “Squeaky Bun Time”, the campaign turns a well-known piece of football culture into a playful product idea. Smart, simple and made us smile, even if the game did not.

July’s campaigns show that great advertising rarely starts with the product. It starts with a question, a behaviour or a feeling that people already recognise. Whether tackling emerging technology, celebrating human ambition or finding humour in everyday life, the strongest work this month understands that creativity is most effective when it connects with people first.

If you’ve got a brand challenge that deserves an idea people will remember, we’d love to help. Get in touch with the team and let’s create something worth talking about.