Best ads of 2018: Jane Walker and Apple save the day

We didn’t do a Best Ads of 2018 in January because there didn’t seem any: Oh no, is it true what they’re all saying about the death of creativity?

February looked as though it was going out with a whimper too although there were more decent efforts.

But this week saved the day (year?) with two stand-outs.

The first, from Anomaly New York isn’t really an ad (yet) but its invention of Jane Walker for Johnnie Walker, to support owner Diageo’s support of women’s causes in the US, is a little stroke of genius. It takes something that can be yawn-making but, instead, is bold, simple and raises a smile too.

As my friend George Parker notes in Adscam, she’s quite a foxy lady as well.

And then there’s Apple. Apple’s advertising is usually good as are most of its products but it’s become a much more unlikeable corporation in recent years as it’s got bigger and greedier.

But TBWA Sydney produced a real cracker with this same sex opus; brave in parts of Oz-land.

Another exceptional piece of work that shows good causes don’t have to be worthy and dull.