Kotex
Kotex launched “Art’s Missing Period,” a campaign from Ogilvy Singapore that confronts the absence of menstrual blood across centuries of art history. The work collects pieces that were rejected, censored, or kept from public view and presents them together, making the pattern of exclusion super, SUPER obvious. Physical installations were placed outside major museums, with a virtual gallery, documentary, and QR codes with a wee bit more context. More
The Real Story: Museums have rooms full of battle wounds, martyrdom, and severed heads, but menstrual blood was apparently crossing the line. One of my absolute favorites from the year so far. The companion documentary flew under the radar, and it’s definitely worth a watch (it’s linked below).
On x Zendaya
Zendaya and On dropped their first co-created collection on April 16, backed by a short film from Spike Jonze called “Shape of Dreams.” The film is set inside “The Dream Lab.” The collection, developed with stylist Law Roach and On’s product team, has sneakers, parachute pants, and bermuda shorts. On signed Zendaya in 2024 and has been steadily using her to push their brand deeper into lifestyle territory. More
The Real Story: Hiring Spike Jonze to shoot your athleisure drop is one way to tell people you’re not a running shoe company anymore. The film does more work than the clothes need it to, which is probably the point.
Nespresso
Nespresso debuted “Vertuo World” on April 14, a global campaign introducing Dua Lipa as the brand’s newest ambassador. She joins George Clooney, who has fronted Nespresso for 20 years and will still appear in future brand activities, though the spotlight is clearly shifting. The move targets Gen Z, nearly half of whom prefer sweet, iced coffee. Nespresso CMO Leonardo Aizpuru called it a “new creative era” for the brand. More
Twenty years of George Clooney, and now they need someone who actually drinks iced coffee. The “new creative era” language is doing a lot of heavy lifting for what is functionally a demographic pivot.
If you’re new here, I write a monthly serialized novel called Everything is Advertising, about a burned-out Creative Director and his cynical team that accidentally create QAnon through a viral marketing campaign. If you like that kind of thing, you can start at Part One and catch up from there.
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I also really love the Kotex campaign!