March Campaigns of the Month.

The Hollywood glitz and glamour of the Superbowl is behind us and in this month’s Campaigns of the Month, it’s back to great ads with big ideas that capture the imagination. I won’t ruin the surprise, but let’s just say March might have already given us some contenders for ad of the year. Enjoy.

If you’re an avid reader of these blogs, you’ll know we’re big F1 fans. So when we spotted the latest ad from Uber featuring Sauber driver and the sport’s resident meme lord, Valtteri Bottas, it just had to be first on the list. Bottas has had a new lease of life since throwing off the shackles of life at Mercedes, growing a mullet and a moustache and getting up to all sorts of fun like releasing a nude calendar. In this hilarious ad for Uber Carshare, he plays up to his famous ‘honorary Aussie’ title and pays tribute to his second home ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Definitely a must watch if you’re a fellow F1 fan.

One of our favourite campaigns this month comes from a global collective of associations led by CoorDown aiming to change the conversation around Down Syndrome and rid the world of harmful preconceived notions and stereotypes. ‘Assume That I Can’ is an international awareness campaign that was launched ahead of World Down Syndrome Day, challenging negative biases that people with Down Syndrome can face. The ad shows a young woman, played by Canadian actress Madison Tevlin, discussing the low expectations others have for people like her, whether it be going out to bars, in education or even dating with a disability. It’s very well done and an important piece of work.

I was amazed to find out recently that Nando’s has never released a sauce collaboration. Until now. The nation’s favourite chicken restaurant has teamed up with Arsenal and England sensation Bukayo Saka (nicknamed ‘Little Chilli’) to produce PERi PERi Saka, which will soon be available in the restaurant’s branches throughout the UK. Saka ditched his football boots and donned his apron to take on the temporary role of head chef at Nando’s, fusing some of his favourite flavours with the restaurant’s PERi-PERi staple to create a limited edition concoction. The sauce has been promoted with a film and a series of elusive billboards around London. We particularly liked the bottle design by Reuben Dangoor.

I’m old enough to remember some of the classic B&Q ads that used the ‘You Can Do It’ tagline so I was really glad to see the iconic British DIY brand giving the platform a new lease of life in this recent campaign. The TV ad in particular offers a stark new take on the challenges that modern DIYers face, looking and sounding more like a sportswear ad in a bid to inspire and motivate customers to take on those neglected home improvement projects. It can’t be easy building brand loyalty as a DIY or hardware brand, so it’s interesting seeing B&Q trying to take the position of an Apple for angle grinders or a Nike for nails. Check out the clever OOH ads too if you get a chance.

We’re keeping up the sports star collaboration theme next with the new campaign from Stella Artois. Now I’ll be honest, this one has really divided opinion in our studio and online, so we’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it hits the spot or falls a bit flat. Fronted by football legend and global icon, David Beckham, the new campaign from Stella Artois is designed to “humble” the superstar through a series of satirical, tongue-in-cheek TV and OOH spots. We felt like the OOH executions worked better than the TV ad, but both have certainly got people talking for both the right and wrong reasons. Is it an own goal or a convincing victory for the Belgian beer brand? Let us know what you think.

That’s your lot. What was your favourite campaign in March? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a real urge to head to Nando’s for some of that PERi PERi Saka Sauce.

If you’re looking for a campaign that gets people talking, speak to us and let’s start the conversation.