Best Ads of the Week: Whataburger’s wings debut & Jeremy Allen White’s skimpy CK shoot

This week, Jeremy Allen White bares it all in Calvin Klein underwear, Cadbury rings in 200 years and NFLers chip out on Frito-Lay products.

Calvin Klein: Spring 2024 campaign

Brace yourselves, fans of Hulu’s series The Bear, for Jeremy Allen White is cooking up something new this year: a debut partnership with legendary fashion house Calvin Klein.

The brand recently unveiled its Spring 2024 campaign, which sees the 32-year-old actor donning its iconic underwear, captured against the skyline of his hometown of New York City. It was shot by Mert Alas, a photographer known as one half of the duo Mert and Marcus, while White was styled by Emmanuelle Alt, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris.

Whataburger: Introducing WhataWings by McGarrah Jessee

In a world where chicken wing debates are more heated than buffalo sauce, burger chain Whataburger has thrown its hat into the ring with the grand launch of its new boneless wings, WhataWings. However, as its accompanying ad campaign suggests, not everyone is singing its praises.

The Texan fast food giant’s latest culinary creation comes with a side of controversy, served hot and saucy: a TV commercial that follows an irate resident who is so mad about the boneless wings that he takes his beef – or rather, his chicken – to a city council meeting. The creative was developed by McGarrah Jessee, an Austin-based independent agency.

Cadbury: Yours for 200 Years by VCCP London

Over the years, Cadbury has released some of the UK’s most memorable ads, including the drumming gorilla and the intense dancing eyebrow kids. To mark its 200th birthday, the confectionery brand has reworked one of its recognizable spots.

‘Birthday’ revives the much-loved ‘Mum’s Birthday’ ad from 2018 and transports viewers through 200 years of British life, beginning with a young girl in the pre-war period buying her mum a bar of chocolate as a present. Over the 60 seconds, the girl’s surroundings subtly change as time advances, but the story remains the same. Cadbury enlisted much of the original cast for this reworking, but with it having been five years since the first ad aired, it also used body doubles and post-production techniques to ensure continuity with the original clips.

Frito-Lay: Taste the Victory

NFL icons and Super Bowl winners Rob ‘Gronk’ Gronkowski, Marshawn Lynch and Troy Polamalu star in a new Frito-Lay ad campaign that will run throughout the league’s postseason and up to Super Bowl Sunday on February 11.

In a new 30-second spot, Lynch and Gronk lounge on a sofa with a table stacked with Frito-Lay snacks, from Tostitos and Doritos to Cheetos and Lay’s. Viewers then see a montage of fans enjoying Frito-Lay snacks – in their cars, at their homes or at vending machines – and experiencing the same explosive sense of celebration and victory. Confetti rains down on former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu as he munches on Cheetos while getting his iconic hair styled at a barber shop. Fans whoop with joy.

Honda: Chasing Greatness

In a new video spot, titled ‘Chasing Greatness,’ Japanese automobile giant Honda showcases three new vehicles in its line of TrailSport SUV models: the Passport, the Pilot and the Ridgeline. Everything about the ad – from the location to the imagery to the music – seems calculated to drum up inspiration among viewers to step out into the unknown and push their boundaries – and, of course, to buy a Honda.

Voiced by none other than John Cena, the new 30-second video spot salutes what’s described in a press release as “the Honda legacy of adventure and off-road performance.” The core message behind the images seems to be: Honda has long excelled in the world of extreme motorsports and now it is bringing that same drive to its new SUVs:

Beyond Meat: It’s Literally the Least You Can Do by Chemistry

Plant-based foods brand Beyond Meat knows that New Year’s health resolutions can be hard to stay on top of. The gym is crowded, workouts can be grueling and, well, it’s just not that fun. It’s simpler – and more enjoyable, the brand posits – to reach for a more attainable goal, like eating more plant-based Beyond Meat.

Rizwan Manji, the Canadian actor best known for his role as Ray Butani on Schitt’s Creek, evidences this mindset in a new digital-first campaign, ‘It’s Literally the Least You Can Do.’ The star goes on to endorse Beyond Meat as an easy, heart-healthy option for consumers looking to improve their overall wellbeing. Created with indie agency Chemistry and directed by Rich Downie of Fox Den, the campaign promotes the brand’s new Beyond Steak product, which has been certified as a heart-healthy food by the American Heart Association.

Amazon: It’s on Prime by Wieden+Kennedy

Amazon has released two ads that show how customers can kick-start new interests and hobbies as part of its global brand platform ‘It’s On Prime.’ ‘Double Shot Dad’ features an exhausted new dad inspired by an episode of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video to improve his morning coffee. The 30-second ad sees him order various coffee-making equipment on Amazon while caring for his baby.

The second spot, the 60-second ‘Concrete Jungle,’ follows a young woman who moves to a new city but is feeling lonely in her concrete flat. After watching an episode of the series Good Omens, she starts ordering gardening equipment on Amazon to turn her apartment into a green paradise. Both ads were created by Wieden+Kennedy London.

Gymbox: New Year campaign by BMB

Since landing on London’s fitness scene in 2004, Gymbox has made a name for itself with its eye-catching marketing tactics. With its latest out-of-home campaign, the brand captures the less glamorous and least liked aspects of living in the big city.

Based on the results of a member survey, the posters feature taglines such as ‘Faking it at 1am, Shaking it at 11am,’ ‘Wings at 2am, Legs at 11am’ and ’Commuter Slog, Downward Dog.’ There’s also the line ‘Gin Fizz, Gym Rizz,’ following the addition of ‘rizz’ to the Oxford Dictionary this year, to appeal to younger audiences. The work was created by agency BMB while media was handled by The7Stars, Jack Agency and Man From Uncle.

Tinder: It Starts With a Swipe by Mischief @ No Fixed Address

According to Tinder, the first Sunday of the year, known as ‘Dating Sunday,’ is the busiest day of the year in online dating. To mark the occasion, Tinder released four new ads that build on its ‘It Starts with a Swipe’ campaign, first introduced in February of 2023: ‘New Last Name,’ ‘A Second Wardrobe,’ ‘A Goodnight Kiss’ and ‘All The Best Spots.’

The title of the first spot – ‘New Last Name’ – might suggest a marriage. Surprisingly, the ad unfolds to reveal a young woman updating the contact information of a man she’s dating, from ’Miguel Tinder’ to ’Miguel,’ accompanied by heart-eyed emojis on her phone. The campaign was created in partnership with Tinder’s creative agency of record Mischief @ No Fixed Address.

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