6. Xbox | ‘The Everyday Tactician’ by McCann London
Xbox joined the wave of brands creating original entertainment with a sports documentary series following a gamer who put his virtual skills to the test for a real soccer team. After winning Xbox’s recruitment contest, 23-year-old Nathan Owolabi got his dream job as a tactician for Bromley Football Club in south London. With no professional soccer experience, would his gaming acumen translate to the field? Many branded entertainment projects fall flat, but Xbox’s human storytelling made this series highly watchable. It also scored two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions this year. –Brittaney Kiefer
5. CALM | ‘Missed Birthdays’ by adam&eveDDB
A birthday balloon is a joyous, universally recognized symbol. But in the case of “Missed Birthdays,” an installation in a high-traffic shopping mall in London, each of the 6,929 brightly colored balloons represented a young person who died by suicide in the U.K. in the past decade. The program—with ITV broadcast tie-ins, educational resources, and tool kits for the public—continued CALM and its agency’s Cannes Lions-winning work on suicide awareness and prevention. –T.L. Stanley
4. McDonald’s | ‘WcDonald’s’ by Wieden+Kennedy New York
Despite being a global powerhouse, McDonald’s has a knack for authentically tapping into subcultures. Case in point: its foray into anime. “WcDonald’s” is a fictional chain with upside-down golden arches that has appeared in many famous anime films and shows. Collaborating with the genre’s biggest names, McDonald’s brought WcDonald’s into the real world, unleashing manga-inspired packaging, a special sauce, and anime episodes in more than 30 markets. There was also a virtual WcDonald’s in Fortnite and a manga-themed restaurant takeover in Los Angeles. The campaign proved that catering to niche fandoms can have massive crossover appeal. –Brittaney Kiefer
