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Tiny hands, sizzling seatbelts & viral beards
Beards, grills, viruses, and van vibes—buckle up.
Welcome back to your daily marketing swipe file. The best ads, served fresh daily, and as tasty as your favorite slice of pepperoni pizza. 🍕 Let’s dig in.

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You Don't Know What You're Taking With You
What’s happening: This vibrantly illustrated ad, possibly for a public health initiative or a product related to safety (given the "Yellow" branding), depicts a woman in a face mask and a young boy shopping in a grocery store aisle bathed in purple and yellow hues. The woman is holding a product, while the boy is reaching into the shopping cart. Critically, a stylized, menacing-looking coronavirus particle is visibly attached to a product in the boy's cart. The text on the right states: "You don't know what you're taking with you." The tagline "STAY HOME" is vertically aligned in the bottom right corner, next to the "Yellow" logo.

Why it’s awesome: This ad is incredibly effective in its direct and slightly unsettling visual communication of invisible dangers. By vividly illustrating a virus particle on a shopping item, it makes the abstract threat of contagion tangible and personal, immediately prompting viewers to consider the risks of public spaces. The use of striking colors and a modern illustration style makes the ad visually appealing while delivering a serious message. It's a powerful reminder to "STAY HOME" and highlights the unseen risks associated with everyday activities during a pandemic.
We Won't Keep 1 Meter Apart
What’s happening: This powerful ad from World Vision features a dense, overhead shot of people gathered closely, many holding empty jerrycans or other containers, suggesting a scene of scarcity or a struggle for resources. The large white text boldly overlays the image, declaring: "WE WON'T KEEP 1 METER APART." Smaller text at the bottom explains the stark reality: "844 million people won't be able to apply the barrier gestures because their water is too contaminated, too scarce, or too far. Help us give them access to clean water. Help us protect them from the COVID-19 pandemic. Donate now on visiondumonde.fr." The World Vision logo is also present.

Why it’s awesome: This ad is incredibly impactful and confronts the viewer with a harsh truth, directly challenging the widely promoted "social distancing" norm. By showcasing a population for whom keeping distance is simply not feasible due to a lack of basic necessities like clean water, it highlights a profound global inequality. It leverages a familiar pandemic-era instruction to expose a deeper, ongoing crisis, making a compelling and urgent case for humanitarian aid. It's a raw, honest, and highly effective call to action for World Vision's mission.

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Use It
What’s happening: This thought-provoking ad from the World Health Organization (WHO) features a pink, three-dimensional brain model, with each gyrus and sulcus shaped like small bars of soap, some even labeled "SOAP." The brain is set against a solid green background. Below the image, the stark and simple command "Use It." is displayed. At the very bottom, a small bar of soap is shown with the instruction: "Wash your hands frequently." The hashtag #StopTheSpread is on the right, and the WHO logo is in the bottom right corner.

Why it’s awesome: This ad is incredibly clever and impactful, using a striking visual metaphor to link intelligence and common sense directly to hygiene. By shaping the brain out of soap, it ingeniously communicates that using your brain means practicing good hand hygiene. The direct command "Use It." is a powerful call to action, and the visual reminder of the soap-brain makes the message about frequent handwashing memorable and persuasive, highlighting that it's a smart and essential way to #StopTheSpread.
What’s happening: This stark and impactful ad from Volkswagen features a large, red social media "like" notification icon, but with a broken heart symbol inside and the number "1" next to it. The background is a clean white, drawing all attention to the icon. The text at the bottom reads: "Keep your social media away while driving. Don't break the heart of your loved one's." The Volkswagen logo and "Das Auto." slogan are in the bottom right corner.

Why it’s awesome: This ad is brilliant in its use of universally recognized social media iconography to convey a critical safety message. By transforming a "like" notification into a "broken heart," it immediately creates an emotional connection and highlights the severe, irreversible consequences of distracted driving – not just for the driver, but for their loved ones. It's a powerful and concise visual metaphor that is both relevant to modern behavior and deeply impactful.

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The First Timed Soap
What’s happening: This innovative ad for "20 Second Soap" features a hand holding a small, vibrant blue block of soap at the top. The main text announces: "THE FIRST TIMED SOAP THAT TEACHES PEOPLE HOW TO WASH THEIR HANDS PROPERLY." Below this, there are six illustrated panels with instructions. These graphics show how to "CHOP IT UP" and "CARVE IT UP" (into 15x15mm pieces), suggesting that the soap dissolves or is used up in 20 seconds, thus acting as a timer for proper handwashing duration. The ad concludes with "TIME TO MAKE YOUR OWN?" and the "20 SECOND SOAP" logo.

Why it’s awesome: This ad is exceptionally clever and practical, offering a tangible solution to a widespread public health challenge: ensuring people wash their hands for the recommended duration. By embedding a "timer" directly into the soap itself, it transforms a simple product into an interactive learning tool. The clear, illustrated instructions make the process easy to follow, making handwashing both effective and engaging. It's a brilliant example of product innovation solving a real-world problem and communicating that solution in a highly effective way.

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That’s a wrap! We hope these bold, fun, and inspiring ads gave you your daily dose of creative energy. See you soon for some more best-in-class marketing goodies!
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