17. Meow Wolf | ‘Come Find Yourselfs at the Mall’ by Preacher
Indie agency Preacher set out to make a “wonderfully weird and mind-bending invitation” to a Dallas exhibition from its new client and collaborator, art collective Meow Wolf. The resulting 60-second hero video reimagines the typical mall scene—circa the 1990s—with trippy touches, bringing mannequins to life and throwing friendly aliens, furry mascots and talking dolls into the mix. And don’t forget the neon track-suited mall walkers with cult-follower tendencies. Weird and mind-bending? Check and check. “Come Find Yourselfs at the Mall” anchored a launch campaign that also included wacky pop-ups, billboards and experiential activations under the brand’s mandate to “make Texas notice us.” The “very insane” flag is now planted ahead of Meow Wolf’s next outpost in Houston. —T .L. Stanley
16. Stella Artois | ‘The Artois Probability’ by Gut Buenos Aires
The use of data doesn’t have to be boring, as beer brand Stella Artois proved with this campaign by Gut Buenos Aires. Since Stella has the oldest logo in the beer world, dating back to 1366, Gut imagined what its drinkers from various eras would have looked like. Their efforts utilized art from over the centuries, culled from an algorithm that analyzed paintings from different eras that cross-referenced data with the brand’s historical records to find the probability of the presence of Stella Artois in the paintings analyzed. The campaign, which was created in partnership with Argentina’s Bellas Artes Museum and drew 7.28 million impressions by 6.7 million unique users, landed the Creative Data Grand Prix at Cannes. —Kyle O’Brien
15. Harry’s | ‘Feel Good, Fellas’ by The Or
Harry’s is not the first brand to upend advertising stereotypes of the perfect man—but its effort is among the most original. The humorous film, by Mother spinoff agency The Or, introduces a business leader who in another life “might have been the Gillette man,” according to co-executive creative director Dan Morris. But this usually polished man faces an existential crisis after witnessing an everyday guy peeling a satsuma in one long strip with a quiet, unshakeable confidence. Without missing a comedic beat, the niche story ends up resonating with a deeper message that challenges masculinity tropes. —Brittaney Kiefer
