Cheers to The Real Hardcore Fans | Clapboard Ad Archive

Greatest Skier of All Time - Barilla | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Greatest Skier of All Time - Barilla | Clapboard Ad Archive

Barilla’s 2023 Greatest Skier of All Time campaign, created with Publicis Italy/LePub, delivers an integrated marketing narrative that fuses twelve years of partnership with Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin and a landmark sports achievement, positioning Barilla at the heart of a compelling intersection between food, performance, and culture. Leaning into FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy, the campaign elevates Shiffrin’s record-breaking 87th World Cup victory as both a tribute and a catalyst for brand storytelling, leveraging her journey and values as the primary vessel for emotional resonance and consumer engagement. The creative core is a bespoke touchpoint: BluRhapsody by Barilla’s limited-edition pasta, meticulously shaped as the numbers 8 and 7, cleverly translates an abstract sports milestone into a tangible artifact of celebration and connection, deepening affinity with both sports enthusiasts and culinary loyalists. Barilla’s longstanding market positioning as a premium Italian food brand emphasizing nutrition, quality, and family is reinforced through this carefully engineered collaboration, which eschews fleeting celebrity endorsement in favor of a deeply authentic and ongoing relationship—each year and each achievement adding to the brand’s narrative capital. The strategic deployment across Italy and the United States, underpinned by Barilla’s resonance in both regions, ensured that the messaging aligned with audiences where both the brand and athlete carry significant relevance. By auctioning and selling 86 additional collector pasta packs (beyond the first, gifted directly to Shiffrin) through Charity Stars to benefit Food for Soul, the campaign moves beyond brand celebration into purposeful action that addresses contemporary food and hunger challenges, registering as a multidimensional activation with real social impact. The meticulous integration of product innovation, philanthropic purpose, and narrative craft embodies a thoroughly modern approach to partnership-driven storytelling in the food and drink category, capturing over two million impressions and stimulating conversation across platforms. Clapboard rates this 72/100. For an industry continually seeking to translate partnership authenticity into commercial and cultural outcomes, this campaign demonstrates the enduring value of a brand-celebrity relationship that is built on long-term shared values rather than transactional moments.

The Cuervo Challenge: One Round in the Octagon - Cuervo | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

The Cuervo Challenge: One Round in the Octagon - Cuervo | Clapboard Ad Archive

Cuervo’s 2024 campaign The Cuervo Challenge: One Round in the Octagon, created by Mekanism, brings an unmissable blend of bravado and product truth-telling to the Food & Drink category by confronting long-held consumer skepticism head-on and inviting real detractors—identified in the campaign as Cuervo sh!t talkers—to submit to a live blind taste test against competitive tequilas. Leveraging its status as the official tequila of the UFC and enlisting UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall, the campaign draws on the combative, meritocratic spirit of the UFC to transform taste perception into an all-out showdown, matching the brand’s challenge to its detractors with the high-stakes drama typical of MMA. As the camera follows these vocal opponents through the tasting ritual and watches most stumble in their attempts to identify Cuervo, the narrative pivots on consequence: those who fail are confronted with the theatrical but playful threat of a round in the Octagon with Aspinall, which ingeniously subverts expectations by rewarding them not with bruises but a round of tequila shared in camaraderie. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#4—Contrast With the Competition—the campaign’s core mechanism is the direct, comparative taste test, pitting Cuervo in unbiased, unbranded head-to-heads versus known category heavyweights and using the unfiltered reactions of skeptics to underscore Cuervo’s product quality. Unlike Patrón or Don Julio, whose marketing leans on the codes of exclusivity and heritage, or Casamigos which trades on accessible celebrity cool, Cuervo’s approach rejects preciousness and instead claims authenticity through the test of open competition, resolving long-standing misperceptions by giving the brand’s harshest critics the final say—only to have them unwittingly endorse its superiority on camera. With over 3.9 million views driving social and earned media conversations, the campaign doesn’t just entertain—it expands its experiential dimension by driving audiences to cuervo.com for their own chance to participate, blurring the line between brand storytelling and user engagement. The campaign earns a 73/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. In redefining competitive comparison from shelf-talkers to visceral, real-world challenges, this work signals a shift toward more confrontational yet participatory forms of product validation in the spirits category.

El Chollazo - KFC | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

El Chollazo - KFC | Clapboard Ad Archive

El Chollazo from KFC marks a sharp recalibration of value-driven brand communications for the Iberian quick-service landscape, leveraging a universally relatable insight and channeling it into a creative territory that lands with both humor and authenticity. Conceived by PS21 for the Portugal and Spain markets in 2025, the campaign pivots on the tangible proposition that for just €3.99—the rough equivalent of loose change lurking under sofa cushions or forgotten in public fountains—consumers can access a full KFC menu, a message rigorously tailored to resonate with budget-conscious audiences. The campaign’s visual and narrative approach is grounded in everyday settings inside KFC restaurants, where four vignettes play out the minor comedic dramas of searching for spare coins, rendering the quest for affordability as both familiar and aspirational. The creative employs a vibrant, handcrafted aesthetic informed by the vernacular of neighborhood offer posters, reinforcing an accessible, down-to-earth brand personality that stands distinct from more aggressively promotional or tech-forward competitors in the food and drink sector. Humor is the mechanism, and the problem-solution structure at work—what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#2—Show the Problem—serves as the narrative spine: the hassle of scrounging for spare change is framed as the challenge, with KFC’s accessible menu emerging as the practical, gratifying resolution. Through this structure, KFC and PS21 blend craft, authenticity, and brand playfulness, ensuring the campaign operates across digital, film, and out-of-home media without sacrificing consistency. The market context is highly competitive, with rivals in the Iberian region vying over both value and flavor distinctiveness, but El Chollazo side-steps mere price messaging by embedding the value proposition in situations that genuine consumers experience daily. The result is an integrated campaign that delivers emotional engagement and commercial clarity in equal measure, earning a 63/100 in Clapboard’s creative archive. In a category so often dominated by promotional noise or borrowed humor, El Chollazo signals the renewed creative power found in rooting bold value offers in shared human behaviors.

The Italian Comeback - Curtice Brothers | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

The Italian Comeback - Curtice Brothers | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Italian Comeback from Curtice Brothers, developed in partnership with Ogilvy and launched across Germany and Italy in 2022, is the kind of agile, culturally attuned marketing that stands out in the crowded food and drink sector. The campaign leverages the deep sense of loss felt by Italian football fans as Italy missed the World Cup for a second consecutive time—an absence positioned as more agonizing for national pride than any culinary controversy. Instead of retreating from the moment, Curtice Brothers, renowned for its ketchup crafted from 100% Italian tomatoes, leans squarely into the disappointment and turns it into a creative opportunity. The brand’s insight—recognizing both the younger cohort of fans who have never witnessed Italy on football’s biggest stage and the uncanny resemblance between the Mexican and Italian flags—fuels a campaign that balances playful wit with emotional resonance. Curtice Brothers incorporated free iron-on patches of Mexico’s coat of arms into every box of ketchup, enabling Italian supporters to transform their flags into symbols of support for the qualifying Mexican team. This gesture becomes a clever workaround, letting Italian fans partake in World Cup fervor while maintaining a sense of cultural solidarity, using humor and inventive problem solving. The product integration is seamless, enhancing the direct marketing push and digital storytelling to position Curtice Brothers as both a spirited ally and a brand that understands the stakes of national moments in sport and gastronomy. Strategically, the campaign goes beyond just referencing Italian heritage, offering football supporters a tangible device for inclusion in a global event from which they have been excluded, while anchoring the product’s value in a scenario that matters deeply to its audience. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, the execution sidesteps literal depictions of despair, instead presenting a symbolic transformation that transcends mere commiseration and turns passive disappointment into active engagement. Through multi-channel content, direct-to-consumer tactics, and digitally amplified storytelling, The Italian Comeback successfully intercepts the emotional pulse of its culturally invested audience, affirming the shared passions that define both football fandom and culinary pride in Italy. The campaign earns 70/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. At a moment when most brands settle for surface-level cheerleading, Curtice Brothers demonstrates that blending strategic product thinking with sharp cultural intuition is what elevates food marketing into a vehicle for real connection.

Ice Tea Insurance - Lipton | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Ice Tea Insurance - Lipton | Clapboard Ad Archive

Lipton’s 2025 Ice Tea Insurance campaign, executed by TBWA\Belgium and TBWA\NEBOKO for the drinks category in Belgium and The Netherlands, tackles a prevalent consumer frustration with clarity and cultural resonance. The campaign addresses the frequent mix-up where café patrons expecting Lipton Ice Tea receive a different brand, leveraging a YouGov study that revealed 81% of frequent iced tea drinkers assume they will get Lipton when ordering. By partnering with iconic rapper and actor Ice-T, Lipton creates a compelling metaphor for originality and authenticity, positioning Lipton Ice Tea as the definitive original in a crowded market. This partnership cleverly transforms Ice-T’s established persona into a symbol of genuine iced tea, reinforcing the brand’s claim through FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, an approach that uses cultural analogy to embody the issue of mistaken identity in product choice. The campaign’s integrated rollout spans OLV, social media, out-of-home, influencer activations, and hospitality venues, ensuring wide visibility and consumer engagement. The innovative Ice Tea Insurance promise allows customers who are served a non-Lipton iced tea to claim a free Lipton Ice Tea via liptoniceteainsurance.com, turning a potential disappointment into a tangible brand experience that deepens consumer trust and loyalty. This approach not only asserts Lipton’s market leadership but also injects humor and relatability into the conversation, making the brand’s authenticity a shared cultural moment rather than a mere product claim. Clapboard rates this campaign 73/100 in its global creative archive. Ice Tea Insurance exemplifies how beverage brands can leverage cultural icons and symbolic storytelling to cut through category noise and forge stronger emotional connections with consumers, proving that originality can be both a strategic asset and a creative narrative in the competitive non-alcoholic drinks sector.

DeepSteaks - Steak-umm | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

DeepSteaks - Steak-umm | Clapboard Ad Archive

Steak-umm’s 2023 DeepSteaks campaign, created by Tombras for the United States Food & Drink sector, harnesses the brand’s reputation for authenticity to confront the insidious rise of deepfake technology and its potential to distort everyday reality. The campaign stages a provocative social experiment featuring genuine vegans who, during a fake focus group, are offered a new vegan cheesesteak sandwich and filmed candidly. Behind the scenes, real-time AI-generated deepfake videos manipulate their likenesses to portray them as meat lovers, an absurd and unsettling twist that dramatizes how easily digital deception can rewrite personal identity and beliefs. This clever use of real individuals, rather than fabricated characters, personalizes the abstract threat of synthetic media, making the risks of misinformation tangible and immediate for viewers. DeepSteaks leverages the visual metaphor of vegans suddenly endorsing meat to symbolize the broader societal vulnerability to deepfakes, a device that fits squarely in Clapboard’s FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, where analogy replaces literal exposition to make complex issues relatable and urgent. The campaign’s documentary-style authenticity is reinforced by a high-profile production pedigree and a narrative that culminates in a call to action directing audiences to DeepSteaks.ai, where they can sign a petition supporting the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act and access resources to identify and counter deepfake content. This integrated approach blends food culture with public interest messaging, positioning Steak-umm not merely as a frozen beef brand but as a committed advocate for truth in a media landscape increasingly vulnerable to AI manipulation. The campaign’s strategic use of shock and empathy invites broad demographic engagement, raising digital literacy around misinformation while reinforcing Steak-umm’s brand ethos of transparency and trustworthiness. Clapboard rates this campaign 78/100. DeepSteaks matters to the industry because it demonstrates how brands can credibly leverage their core identity to address emerging societal challenges, thereby expanding the role of advertising beyond product promotion to meaningful cultural intervention.

Feliz St. Patrick's Day - Kahlúa | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Feliz St. Patrick's Day - Kahlúa | Clapboard Ad Archive

Kahlúa’s Feliz St. Patrick's Day campaign, created by Wieden+Kennedy London, sidesteps decades of stout-dominated ritual with a disruptive play in the annual celebration’s most culturally entrenched territory, deploying the Espresso Martini as a modern, black-and-creamy rival in the hearts, glasses, and social feeds of celebrants across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States in Year 2024. The campaign leverages a single compelling insight — that 60% of Brits would prefer an Espresso Martini over stout on St. Patrick’s Day — to justify a full-throttle challenge to tradition, bringing out a multi-channel activation that hits every relevant touchpoint from dynamic digital out-of-home media outside Irish bars, to an attention-grabbing newspaper cover wrap, to experiential on-premise activations at Dirty Martini with mini pint glass novelties for eager cocktail-goers. At its core sits a piece of branded entertainment rooted in Irish cultural signifiers — from music to drink close-ups to casting — primed to subvert expectations: every creative beat builds toward the familiar image of stout only to deftly reveal the rich crema and coffee hit of a Kahlúa Espresso Martini, landing a punchline both visual and strategic. This creative approach sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy defines as FORMAT#4–Contrast with the Competition, using explicit category comparison to position Kahlúa’s hero serve as the playful, preferable, and visually analogous alternative to the reigning flagship of St. Patrick’s Day beverages. Social amplification adds a further layer of immediacy, harnessing well-known personalities from the worlds of Irish digital media and sports to propagate the campaign’s irreverent twist across Instagram and YouTube, cementing Kahlúa’s contemporary, conversational tone and drawing new audiences into the dialogue around what modern celebration can look — and taste — like. This strategy seamlessly aligns with the brand’s global Stir Up platform, which prioritizes dramatic, playful interventions into the social and cultural occasions that matter most, compelling drinkers to choose for themselves rather than default to category orthodoxy. Supported by a campaign concept that is at once rooted in heritage and keenly aware of current preferences among its youthful target demographic, Kahlúa successfully reframes a moment of national tradition as an open invitation to novelty and personal taste, not just in product but in the rituals that define modern festivity. The campaign earns 76/100 in Clapboard's global creative archive. As the market for alcoholic drinks increasingly rewards challenger thinking and self-aware wit, this campaign signals that even the most iconic occasions are open to reinterpretation by brands willing to meet culture head-on with data-driven insight and credible flair.

Secondhand Box with Marie Kondo - Barilla | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Secondhand Box with Marie Kondo - Barilla | Clapboard Ad Archive

Barilla’s Secondhand Box with Marie Kondo campaign, developed by LePub for Global Recycling Day 2024, positions the iconic food brand at the front lines of sustainability by enlisting the globally recognized tidying authority, Marie Kondo, to transform the brand’s blue pasta packaging into a beacon of environmental action. As climate anxieties and conversations around packaging waste spike across platforms like TikTok and YouTube, particularly in Italy and the United States, Barilla leverages this acute consumer awareness by providing a highly practical solution—inviting consumers to repurpose pasta boxes for shipping pre-loved goods. Rather than simply telling a green story, the campaign delivers what Clapboard’s taxonomy identifies as FORMAT#1—Demonstration—placing Marie Kondo at the creative core, showing step by step how to fold, maximize space, and upcycle the ordinary Barilla box into something both sustainable and functional for the thriving secondhand market. By linking the everyday act of enjoying pasta to larger systemic environmental issues—emphasizing the heavy CO₂ impact of transport and packaging associated with online shopping and fashion—Barilla reframes its product as a catalyst for positive behavioral change. The partnership with Marie Kondo is more than a celebrity endorsement; it is a targeted play for credibility and creative authority, utilizing her proven expertise in organization to inspire a digital audience seeking real-world tactics, all while empowering participation through social activation with #BarillaSecondhandBox. By embedding itself in Global Recycling Day and championing tangible, achievable waste reduction, Barilla not only extends its food and drink brand proposition into the domain of environmental stewardship but also meaningfully differentiates from competitors who address sustainability at a distance or through less actionable means. With this activation, the agency connects Barilla’s brand heritage and premium positioning to a concrete eco-driven utility, reinforcing the company’s investments in responsible consumption without resorting to abstraction or greenwash. Clapboard rates this 63/100. As brands across the food and drink market increasingly compete for relevance through sustainability initiatives, this campaign signals how the most effective efforts make the value proposition literally demonstrable, folding environmental messaging into everyday behavior.

When Thungry, Get Naked - Naked | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

When Thungry, Get Naked - Naked | Clapboard Ad Archive

When Thungry, Get Naked positions Naked smoothies as the definitive answer to the modern consumer’s often contradictory cravings by embracing the dual sensation of being both hungry and thirsty—a state the campaign dubs ‘thungry.’ Launched in the United States in 2024, this integrated campaign for the Drinks (Non Alcoholic) category zeroes in on the emotional complexity of everyday life, acknowledging that it’s okay to feel two things at once as long as you have a Naked smoothie in hand. The campaign’s lead asset, the Aunt Beatrice :30 spot, employs a straightforward problem-solution narrative that aligns with what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#2—Show the Problem, highlighting a relatable consumer dilemma before positioning the product as the seamless fix. Eschewing elaborate storytelling or celebrity endorsements, the creative strategy opts for candidness and wordplay, making the portmanteau ‘thungry’ both an emotional insight and a linguistic hook that resonates with lifestyle-conscious consumers navigating nuanced nutritional needs. The campaign’s tone is conversational and authentic, reinforcing Naked’s brand positioning as a vibrant, natural energy source with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives, catering to those seeking real fruit and vegetable nutrition in a convenient format. This approach is particularly effective in a market segment increasingly driven by wellness and emotional validation, where consumers expect brands to acknowledge their complex feelings while offering genuine, wholesome products. With over one million views on its YouTube assets, the campaign has achieved significant reach and engagement, reflecting meaningful resonance within its target demographic. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100 in its global creative archive. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how a single, well-defined emotional insight combined with a clear problem-solution framework can elevate a beverage brand’s relevance by aligning product utility with the evolving emotional landscape of contemporary consumers.

Campaign Proposition

Heineken’s campaign "Cheers to The Real Hardcore Fans" leverages the brand’s long-standing association with passionate, authentic sports fans by spotlighting genuine fan rituals during the 2024 UEFA Champions League. The campaign centers on a real-life viral moment involving Jorge, a devoted Real Madrid supporter whose lucky phone call coincided with a key game-winning goal. By recreating this moment for fans in France and Spain, Heineken delivers a promise of shared excitement and connection through the playful idea of passing on luck, reinforcing their position as a brand that celebrates the quirky authenticity of true football enthusiasts. Strategically, the campaign taps into the emotional engagement and superstitious behaviors that underpin fan culture during high-stakes sporting events. Recognizing that fans seek ways to feel involved beyond passive viewership, Heineken created an interactive experience allowing fans to make “The Superstitious Call” during the final, enabling a unique, participatory connection tied directly to the gameplay. This interactive approach appeals to the core UEFA Champions League audience, targeting die-hard supporters who value community and ritual in their fandom. The creative execution amplifies relatability by focusing on a memorable real fan story, enhancing authenticity and shareability. Results demonstrate meaningful engagement, with over a thousand fans calling in, including hundreds who left voice messages, reflecting active participation rather than passive consumption. Overall, this integrated campaign effectively intertwines brand loyalty with cultural moments, reinforcing Heineken’s relevance within the sports-alcoholic drinks landscape by deepening emotional bonds through a culturally resonant, gamified experience.

Creative Device

FORMAT#8 ONGOING CHARACTERS OR CELEBRITIES — Uses a recurring personality or celebrity for brand recall. This campaign centers on Jorge, “the most superstitious football fan” who previously went viral, making him the campaign’s recognizable, story-driving personality rather than a generic fan archetype. The narrative explicitly leverages Jorge’s quirky fame by inviting the public to mimic his lucky phone call—an action referencing his personal “celebrity” status within fandom culture. Rather than solve a defined problem or narrate a product-driven story, Heineken amplifies brand connection by spotlighting Jorge as a recurring figure. The campaign aligns most closely with the Ongoing Characters or Celebrities format due to the high visibility of a real, previously memorable fan whose antics are now ritualized by the wider audience, enhancing recall and emotional resonance through authentic fan representation. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats

Competitive Planks

Budweiser – Market Positioning Budweiser positions itself as the “King of Beers,” emphasizing its American heritage and commitment to quality brewing. It targets mainstream consumers with broad, global appeal, using major sports sponsorships (like the FIFA World Cup) and music events to connect with social and festive moments, blending tradition with modernity to maintain its premium yet accessible image.

Corona – Market Positioning Corona leverages its association with relaxation, beach vibes, and escapism, promoting a lifestyle of refreshment and leisure. It differentiates through its strong emphasis on natural ingredients (notably lime), vibrant brand imagery, and a connection to outdoor, sunny, and carefree experiences, appealing primarily to younger audiences seeking fun and sociability.

Stella Artois – Market Positioning Stella Artois positions itself as a premium European lager with a refined, sophisticated heritage dating back to

It highlights craftsmanship, elegant design, and quality to attract discerning consumers who appreciate tradition blended with a modern, upscale lifestyle. Stella often aligns with cultural events and dining experiences to emphasize its classy, premium nature.

Mahou – Market Positioning Mahou is a leading Spanish beer brand known for its authentic local roots and strong ties to Spanish culture. It emphasizes craftsmanship and quality with a focus on traditional brewing methods, competitive pricing, and a loyal domestic consumer base. Mahou’s communication often celebrates Spanish lifestyle, football passion, and community spirit.

Carlsberg – Market Positioning Carlsberg markets itself as a progressive, innovative global beer brand focusing on quality, sustainability, and responsible drinking. It targets a wide demographic by combining heritage with modernity, often sponsoring major sporting events like UEFA competitions. Carlsberg promotes itself as a beer for “probably the best moments,” balancing tradition with forward-thinking initiatives.