Here’s what we think stood out creatively across the globe in March.
As I said last month, I’m refraining from calling this series “ads of the month” or anything like that. The aim is to spotlight the most effective creative work each month, across ideation, craft and execution, and how it actually moves the needle over time. Whether something is labelled “ad of the day” is beside the point.
March saw some exceptional creativity. Gap is back. Coinbase has broken loose. The Dulux dog offers up a tearjerker. It’s all here.
None of these campaigns will determine quarterly earnings on their own. But each reveals how brands are choosing to compete. And that, we think, is worth watching. Worth documenting.
I watched this over and over again. Usually a good sign.
I already have a soft spot for Gap. It was where Kelcie and I met whilst at university. But beyond that, the brand has drifted from relevance since its modern-day peak with Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz, and has endured a volatile five-year period.
Then it dropped its spring campaign with Young Miko.
Directed by Bethany Vargas, the film reworks “WASSUP,” placing 26 dancers in a minimal, monochrome set. The choreography does a lot of the work — sharp, controlled, and built for repeat viewing.
It’s also the brand’s first real move into what it calls “fashiontainment” — content as entertainment first, product integrated into it. The hire of Pam Kaufman, joining from Paramount as Chief Entertainment Officer, offers a taste of where the brand is headed.
Brand: Gap Inc.
Artist: Young Miko
Director: Bethany Vargas
Creative / Production: Invisible Dynamics
Choreography: Zoi Tatopoulos
Air France continues its move upmarket.
Developed with AURA by Omnicom, the campaign turns product upgrades into visual objects, a Wi-Fi-shaped seat, a giant macaron, a duvet-inspired dress.
Each execution ties back to a specific part of the experience: connectivity, comfort, service.
Rolled out globally across print, film, digital and 3D OOH, it positions Air France as more than a carrier, closer to an extension of French culture.
Brand: Air France
Agency: AURA by Omnicom
Executive Creative Directors: Benjamin Marchal, Faustin Claverie
Art Director: Ronan Coursin
Copywriter: Alessandro Cerutti
Photographer: Clark Franklin
Director: Nans Noiron
Production: TBWA\ELSE
Another simple premise from McDonald’s UK and Leo Burnett UK’s Camera Rolls. Built on a simple narrative of scrolling to the end of almost any night out and you’ll often find McDonald’s.
Historically, McDonald’s advertising has leaned into family, comfort and occasion. But the reality is different. For many, the brand shows up at the end of the night — or the morning after.
This campaign leans into that.
The work uses real fan camera rolls exactly as they appear on people’s phones, bowling nights, parties, weddings, all leading to the same final frame. McDonald’s.
Launched around the 2026 BRIT Awards and amplified by creators like GK Barry, the work sits within McDonald’s “Overnights” platform.
Brand: McDonald’s UK
Agency: Leo Burnett UK
CCO: Mark Elwood
Executive Creative Director: Andrew Long
Creative Director: Rob Tenconi
Creatives: Clementina De Ruiter, Anna Wilkins
Junior Creatives: Konstantinos Sdoukos, Manuel Fernandez Ramirez
Head of Design: David Allen
Designers: Rupert Knowlden, Kat Loosemore
Social Creative Director: Ben Hooper
Coinbase’s Your Way Out, created by Isle of Any and directed by Oscar Hudson, was like nothing I’ve seen in a while.
The film drops viewers into a video game world of “financial NPCs”, characters moving in loops, locked inside a system that never changes, until the protagonist breaks free.
Yes, it’s about escaping traditional banking and choosing crypto. But what makes it land is that it captures something more existential than functional. Ads like this hold attention because they make you feel something slightly uncomfortable and questioning.
The craft is exceptional. The low-poly world recalls early GTA or Driver, but much of it is live action — painted sets, physical costumes, choreographed movement. It creates something deliberately uncanny.
Add in Sammy Davis Jr’s I’ve Gotta Be Me to our protagonist becoming human again and you jubilantly want to hang on to the end and celebrate his breakout with him.
As AI-generated visuals become more common, this kind of physical craft will only carry more weight.
Brand: Coinbase
Agency: Isle of Any
Director: Oscar Hudson
Production: MJZ
CHANEL’s latest handbag campaign leans into something luxury rarely does overtly, familiarity.
Starring Margot Robbie and directed by Michel Gondry, the film draws directly from Kylie Minogue’s Come Into My World. Robbie moves through a looping Parisian streetscape (filmed in LA), repeating moments as the narrative builds. Minogue appears briefly, 25 years on, anchoring the reference.
But this isn’t CHANEL using nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.
It’s luxury’s controlled evolution. Robbie appears in parallel iterations. She’s walking, crossing, repeating. Her CHANEL 25 moves with her. It’s a luxury item integrated into daily life. And that's the shift. The shift we will see more luxury brands adopting.
Robbie’s styling, whites, denim, softer silhouettes, feels more lived-in. Utility becomes part of the aspiration.
Luxury advertising often creates distance from the product but it’s not working for the next generation. This brings the product closer—positioning the bag not as something to admire, but something to use. And that’s why it’s included.
Brand: Chanel
Director: Michel Gondry
Talent: Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue
Production: Partizan
Adidas builds on the Superstar’s cultural legacy.
Created by Johannes Leonardo and directed by Thibaut Grevet through DIVISION, the campaign is built around timelessness.
The walls move and melt as time accelerates. We are right with Jackson, barefoot as the camera follows him down corridors, doors opening up into a different icon’s world. Kendall Jenner, JENNIE, Lamine Yamal, Baby Keem, James Harden, Tyshawn Jones, and Olivia Dean.
Adidas here are celebrating the timeless cultural impact of the adidas Superstar sneaker across music, fashion, sport and art.
Rolling out globally, the campaign is part of adidas Originals’ push to position the Superstar as an enduring icon for a new generation.
The spots are accompanied by an integrated franchise plan featuring global content, brand activations and in-person experiences.
And you’re left asking yourself, ‘why haven’t I got a pair of Superstaaaaarrs yet?’
Brand: Adidas Originals
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Director: Thibaut Grevet (DIVISION)
Production: Barnstormer Productions
Post Production: Blacksmith; Ethos Studio
Editorial: Cabin Edit
Music & Sound: Ballad; Concret Form
A simple, difficult watch.
Created by Don’t Panic London and directed by Nicolas Jack Davies, the film follows a family over time as Parkinson’s gradually takes hold.
It avoids explanation. No stats, no symptoms. The ad focuses on what’s lost. Lost independence, connection and future moments.
It allows the audience to feel the absence rather than be told about it.
The campaign sits within “Give back what Parkinson’s takes,” positioning donation as restoration rather than obligation.
Hope, rather than guilt, does the work.
Brand: Parkinson’s UK
Agency: Don’t Panic London
Director: Nicolas Jack Davies
Production: The Sweetshop
Post Production: Time Based Arts
Editor: Billy Mead (tenthree)
Chupa Chups turns a long-standing frustration into a platform.
Created by BBH London, Impossible responds to years of complaints about hard-to-open wrappers by introducing an easier version — then hiding it inside the hardest-to-open lollipop yet.
The “Impossible” range becomes the final boss.
Seeded with creators, the act of opening becomes the content. Replies to real complaints and the #ChupaSpeedChallenge extend it further.
What stands out is the commitment to the idea. The execution goes further than expected, and that escalation is what makes it travel.
It’s a strong example of turning product friction into a creative platform.
Brand: Chupa Chups (Perfetti Van Melle)
Agency: BBH London
Production: Untold
Director: Ashley Tyas
Media: Wavemaker UK
PR: Edelman UK
Jules Chalkley, chief executive creative director, Ogilvy UK, explains very well why this made the best creative of March 2026. “Everyone loves a brand mascot and the Dulux dog has achieved true cultural icon status. Bringing it back to the heart of such a modern and joyful story about transforming the way we celebrate life's big milestones feels so fitting.”
What makes this campaign effective is how it reframes our definition of a "milestone." We are seeing a shift away from traditional markers like marriage or having children, moving instead toward more individual, personal moments of change. In this narrative, colour becomes the primary device through which those transitions are both recognised and expressed. It isn't just about home improvement; it’s about emotional evolution.
We immediately begin holding up a mirror to our own lives, finding pieces of our own stories in the montage. Add a 65-year-old beloved mascot into the picture, and the audience is locked in until the final frame.
The moment that really resonates is the breakup scene. Seeing poor Dorothy sitting on the step outside in the rain. It’s a poignant reminder that life isn't always a "before and after" gallery; sometimes it’s messy.
The campaign’s strength lies in that honesty, supported by a massive multi-channel rollout across TV, YouTube, and social media. With PR activity extending into broadcast and press to widen its reach, Dulux has successfully used its mascot to show a paint brand as a partner for life’s most meaningful, unscripted moments.
Brand: Dulux (AkzoNobel)
Agency: Ogilvy UK
ECD: Jules Chalkley
Production: Academy Films
Directors: Si&Ad
DOP: Polly Morgan
Post: 1920vfx
Edit: Final Cut London (Amanda James)
Sound: King Lear
Music: Interlude Sounds
Dirección General de Tráfico tackles distracted walking with a visual language that mirrors the problem.
Created by Ogilvy Spain, the film follows a pedestrian consumed by his phone, viral dances, fantasy sequences, visual noise, as he crosses the street.
The execution reflects the dopamine-driven pull of the screen.
By the time reality hits, the contrast is sharp.
It’s a campaign that understands the behaviour it’s trying to change — and uses that against it.
Client: Dirección General de Tráfico
Agency: Ogilvy Spain
CCO: Roberto Fara
ECDs: Juan Pedro Moreno, Javier Senovilla
Creative Directors: Guille Fernández, Pablo Poveda
Production: WPP Production / Be Sweet
DOP: Tomáš Kotas
Edit: Borja Bernal Muñoz
Post / VFX: WPP Production
Sound: Isilik Studio
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