THE FOUNTAIN OF FILTH – CHANNEL 4
To launch Dirty Business, a Channel 4 drama about Britain’s sewage scandal, 4Creative created The Fountain of Filth: a giant fountain where ordinary people appeared to vomit polluted water beneath a wealthy businessman overflowing with cash. I love ideas like this because they’re impossible to misunderstand. In a single image, you instantly understand who suffers, who profits, and what the issue is. No headline, no explanation, no campaign case film required. The medium becomes the message, turning a TV launch into a powerful piece of public commentary.
PERIODIC FABLE – THE ORDINARY
This project is a great example of an idea with real legs. It taps into a growing truth: we’re exhausted by beauty tutorials, Instagram ads, and endless promises about the latest miracle ingredient that’s supposed to make us look ten years younger. The Ordinary responds with a simple and refreshing point of view: it’s time to cut the bullshit. By borrowing the visual language of the periodic table, the brand strips beauty back to its essentials and makes skincare feel more transparent, scientific, and honest. It’s a beautifully simple idea, executed with confidence and consistency. The kind of work that feels obvious once you’ve seen it.
INSTACART – FOR PAPA!
This is probably the most nonsensical yet brilliant film I’ve seen this year. It has everything: great casting, outstanding direction, and brilliant storytelling. It constantly surprises, feels fresh, and genuinely looks like something we haven’t seen before. Having celebrities in a Super Bowl commercial is hardly new, but this film completely flips the script. The execution is remarkable from start to finish. At some point, you stop caring whether you’re watching an ad or a short film. It’s simply bold, entertaining, and brilliantly crafted. The kind of work that reminds us that advertising can still be pure entertainment.
CITY OF PARIS – TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BEING A GIRL
For the first time in history, the French national motto was altered: an asterisk was added to Égalité* (“Equality”), symbolising the hidden terms and conditions that come with being a woman. Projected onto the Eiffel Tower and public buildings across France, that tiny punctuation mark became a powerful storytelling device. The idea is very simple: with a single symbol, the campaign made an invisible issue visible. And it didn’t stop at raising awareness. It helped drive a lasting change, leading to the addition of 72 women scientists’ names on the Eiffel Tower alongside the 72 men already engraved there.
Chrystel Jung is creative director at BETC Paris.
