The Creatives Room

Cinematic Ads

Some of the greatest filmmakers of the last fifty years have worked in advertising - Ridley Scott, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The commercial work of these directors has pushed the visual ambition of advertising to the level of cinema, and in some cases beyond it. Guinness 'Surfer', directed by Glazer, Levi's 'Drugstore' directed by Michel Gondry, Apple '1984' directed by Scott - these are works of visual art that also happened to sell things. This collection brings together advertising where the craft of filmmaking is inseparable from the commercial purpose.

The campaigns in this collection

  1. Conversations with Woody Allen - Knopf · Chip Kidd™ · 2010

    Cover for Eric Lax's Conversations with Woody Allen. The pensive portrait wreathed in snippets of talk mirrors the book's form - decades of candid interviews about film, laid out like a scattered chat.

  2. Blood?s a Rover - Knopf · Chip Kidd™ · 2009

    Cover for James Ellroy's Blood's a Rover. The sickly-green nocturnal cityscape drips with the corruption and menace of Ellroy's late-60s American underworld - crime lit by neon.

  3. Not to Disturb - New Directions · Steve Attardo · 2010

    Cover for Muriel Spark's Not to Disturb. The closed door with light leaking out captures the novel's servants waiting outside while scandal and death unfold within - kept, deliberately, on the wrong side of the door.

  4. Your Ticket into New Worlds

    Social platforms already own Gen Z attention, and the appeal is being inside a shared conversation. Reading is positioned to compete on exactly that ground: not as schoolwork but as entire worlds to enter and then talk about, with the book framed as the ticket in.

  5. A Source of Pride on World Arabic Language Day - KSAA · 2024

    Created for the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSAA) on World Arabic Language Day, "A Source of Pride" (نفخر بها) addresses the growing preference for foreign languages among Arab youth, which threatens to relegate native Arabic to formal or historical contexts. The campaign rests o

  6. It - UPS · The Martin Agency · 2020

    UPS aimed to reposition its shipping services among small business owners from a transactional necessity into an essential partner for growth. The campaign taps into the insight that entrepreneurs are driven by an obsessive, intangible spark—"it"—to perfect their craft, but struggle to scale creativ

  7. Aerospace - Rolls Royce

    Rolls-Royce "Aerospace". A Rolls-Royce spot framing aerospace engineering and power.

  8. Reverse Our Thinking - National Education Association · Weber Shandwick · 2018

    The campaign confronts public cynicism and defeatist rhetoric surrounding underfunded public schools and the teaching profession. The strategy centers on a palindromic reverse-poem structure: read forward, the script articulates a hopeless narrative about failing classrooms and overburdened educator

  9. Stories - Mini · Jung von Matt · 2016

    MINI needed to pivot away from spec-driven automotive advertising to reposition the brand within modern urban culture. The campaign rests on the idea that a car is defined by the personal journeys and creative lives of its drivers rather than its technical features. Jung von Matt replaced traditiona

  10. The Most Beautiful Journey - Costa Cruises · Leo Burnett Italy · 2021

    Costa Cruises sought to reposition cruise travel following industry-wide post-pandemic disruption and growing skepticism toward sea tourism. The strategy turned the fundamental nature of cruising into its greatest asset with the core thesis: "The most beautiful journey on earth is on sea." By framin

  11. Many Women In One Body - Diflucan · 2017

    "Many Women in One Body" for Diflucan: a confident woman striding through the city celebrates the many roles a woman plays - the treatment as what helps her feel fully herself again.

  12. Dreams - Orifarm · 2023

    Orifarm "Dreams". A health-brand spot framing wellbeing and the pursuit of dreams.

  13. Above the Waves - Kaiser · 2020

    Kaiser "Above the Waves". A brand spot framing resilience and rising above the surface.

  14. Far and Wide - Ampol · Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney · 2021

    "Far and Wide" for Ampol: a pensive Aussie everyman gazing out at the passing land ties the fuel brand to the great journeys and vast distances of Australia.

  15. BIC - NOSOTROS

    NOSOTROS "BIC". A BIC spot celebrating simple, dependable everyday products.

  16. Play Has No Limit - Playstation · adam&eveDDB · 2021

    PlayStation "Play Has No Limit". PlayStation frames gaming as limitless, boundless play.

  17. Refresh Your Galaxy - Coca-Cola

    "Refresh Your Galaxy" for Coca-Cola: a red-lit Darth Vader helmet signals a Star Wars tie-in - fusing the franchise's universe with Coke's promise of refreshment.

  18. 175 Years - NBG · 2016

    NBG "175 Years". An anniversary spot marking 175 years of the National Bank of Greece.

  19. Different Fuel. Same Soul. - Porsche · 2019

    Porsche "Different Fuel. Same Soul.". Porsche frames its move to electric while keeping the brand's soul intact.

  20. Juste un Clou - Cartier · 2018

    A film for Cartier's Juste un Clou: a lone figure amid a constellation of floating screens celebrates the iconic nail-motif jewellery - a luminous retrospective of a design classic.

  21. Spaceman: Journey Beyond - Volkswagen · 2024

    Volkswagen "Spaceman: Journey Beyond". A VW spot framing exploration and journeys beyond the everyday.

  22. Stunt Jump - PlayStation · 2025

    PlayStation "Stunt Jump". A PlayStation spot dramatising the thrill of action gaming.

  23. Mr. Double Checker - Coca-Cola · 2018

    "Mr. Double Checker" for Coca-Cola: a comic-book-styled hero character fronts a playful campaign, using superhero framing to dramatise a Coke promotion or product claim.

  24. Never Settle - OnePlus · Carrot · 2017

    OnePlus "Never Settle". OnePlus frames its phones around a refusal to settle for less.

Why this collection is worth studying

Cinematic advertising is worth studying for what it reveals about the relationship between craft and communication. The visual language of these campaigns - their use of light, movement, composition, and editing - isn't decoration. It's argument. Every technical choice is a creative choice, and every creative choice contributes to the meaning. Understanding those relationships is foundational to making ambitious advertising in any medium.

See also

Most Cinematic Advertising & Film-Quality Campaigns - The Creatives Room