Creative Edge Report #1
Stay creative with this monthly breakdown of 20 fresh ideas from social, ads, and art
Welcome to the CREATIVE EDGE REPORT, a new monthly addition to the More Bad Ideas newsletter.
As marketers, writers, designers, creators, or CMOs, we all need fresh ideas that stand out. Finding time for that inspiration isn’t always easy.
I’m building this Report to inspire and fuel your creativity. Each month, I'll share a curated list of creative examples to help you kick-off your next project or get unstuck — sourced from various social feeds, ad repositories, our Social Fresh research, and various obscure corners of the web.
Let’s jump in to the first CREATIVE EDGE REPORT for September 2024
This edition includes examples from Uber, Pixar, Disney World, Ramp, Red Cross, Coinbase, Dick’s, Fidelity, HubSpot, and Chipotle. We’ve got a botanical garden weigh off, some thrift store art, a book carving, and a Metal Gear 2 shoutout.
1. #CharityShopFriday
TikTok / Creator Art
Why paint on a canvas when you can paint on a clock or a bowl or a rock?
UK painter “Sophie Tea Art” buys a random item from a thrift store each week, takes it home, paints it, and then returns it to the store so they can resell it.
WHY IT WORKS
It’s magic when an artist can do something that feels like it’s never been done. Each week Sophie makes a one-of-a-kind piece of art from a random object in a different community. She announces these on social and her followers flock to the store. It’s for the community and participatory.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Artificial constraints: Limiting her canvas to only objects found in each store
Everyday objects: Bringing beauty to objects everyone will recognize and relate to
Giving back: Creating the art for free to bring attention (and a little revenue) to worthwhile community orgs
Experience: Sophie shows up in people’s neighborhoods and interacts with her fans directly at each local shop
SOURCE: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8e9twnD/
2. Big Moments Every Day — Dick’s Olympics Ad
Broadcast TV / Olympics Ad
We’re not all great at sports, but most of us have joyful memories attached to playing as a kid or rooting on our favorite team.
WHY IT WORKS
Dick’s does an amazing job of pulling on heartstrings and tapping into our love of sports (bonus for the Chariots of Fire score).
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
The Olympics spotlights the best athletes in the world. Dick’s contrasting ad shares amazing moments from amateurs and toddlers, proving they can be just as emotional, if not more.
UGC content gives the ad so much emotion. The white space ads to the effect. I call this the scrapbook format, when an ad leaves space around photos and video on a white or black background. It’s connects to the viewer by emphasizing the sourced nature of the content and adds a perceived authenticity.
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVSNWBPrKGM
3. On Our Way — Uber Olympics Ad
Broadcast TV / Olympics Ad
Bailing on people isn’t cool, but it is relatable.
WHY IT WORKS
Uber taps into a relatable shared experience: the frustration of someone not showing up. It's a feeling we all know but rarely discuss. They shift the focus from this pain point to highlighting the joy and gratitude that comes from someone actually showing up.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Using UGC, sourced clips, and excerpts from TV/movies emphasizes the relatable and nostalgic feel of the ad. The repeated line "I’m on my way" cleverly ties into Uber’s Share My Trip feature, connecting the app’s UI into the ad.
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSh6Tpx-mRI&t
4. Ramp’s Ramp DMs
Twitter/X, Organic
Are people actually DMing photos of ramps to Ramp?
WHY IT WORKS
It’s weird to post a bunch of photos of ramps to a brand Twitter account. But it also has all the makings of a meme. A brand that can create its own memes starts to build cultural power.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Try unconventional approaches. Create your own memes. Hire talented social content creators and give them the freedom to experiment with new, untested ideas. Whether this is already happening or something they're trying to manifest into reality, I love it either way.
SOURCE: https://x.com/tryramp/status/1828460130242908578
5. Pixar Cars Glitch
Threads / Organic
Sometimes you just have to break all the (design) rules.
WHY IT WORKS
It’s cringe, but in a way that you… think, maybe Lightning McQueen actually designed it?
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Take a meme (like “graphic design is my passion”) and ask what it might look like for the personality of your brand or one of the characters in your brand world to make it their own.
SOURCE: https://www.threads.net/@pixar/post/C_hr2Euupvg/
6. TrustCloud Meme
LinkedIn / Ad
Getting something for free, that costs $10k (or over $150k) deserves a meme.
WHY IT WORKS
SOC2 compliance is expensive and increasingly necessary for dev teams. Offering it as a free benefit is pretty surprising. Using a meme to emphasize that emotional response helps drive the message home.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
What feature or benefit causes the most surprise or delight for your product? How can you quickly capture that emotion with a simple visual, metaphor, or meme?
SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7222806941834612736
7. World Record Domino Fall
Twitter/X / Organic
I thought this was a cat jumping to its death at first, so naturally I kept watching.
WHY IT WORKS
World records are cool, but you still have to hook people into watching the first few seconds of your video. Throwing a stuffed squirrel at a tower of dominos does just that.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Help the viewer understand where they should look in a video. The red circle highlights the stuffed squirrel as a visual hook, while slow motion keeps them engaged. Strategic framing also hides the rest of the dominos, acting as a teaser to click over to YouTube.
SOURCE: https://x.com/hevesh5/status/1835337139304677609
8. Red Cross Flood Haters
Threads / Organic
Turn the haters into content.
WHY IT WORKS
We all relate to getting terrible comments on a genuine post that ruins the vibe.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Keep an eye out for these relatable and behind-the-scenes moments that create emotion (positive OR negative). Human moments, even mistakes or flaws, can be shortcuts for helping an audience connect. This Pratfall effect sharing small mistakes can make you more likable.
SOURCE: https://www.threads.net/@americanredcross/post/C-YF6gQOm3p
9. A16Z Games Recruitment
LinkedIn / Organic
There’s nothing better than an obscure reference to help you zero in on a niche audience.
WHY IT WORKS
If you played the video game Metal Gear in the nineties, then you’ll recognize this artwork as Solid Snake, one of the main protagonists from the series. A16Z wants to hire someone for video game marketing that has experience and knows this history of gaming.
WHAT CAN YOU LEARN
Embrace nostalgia and niche details that resonate with your audience. What obscure reference can spark an audiences’ fond memories of a specific time, place, hobby, or media?
SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7221193879616708611
10. King Arthur Baking “Be Kind” listicle
Threads / Organic
At first glance you might see a “Live, Laugh, Love” vibe here. But, mental health is something people want to see more of, baking metaphors and all.
WHY IT WORKS
Like any horoscope, the content feels good, leaves you wanting to do good things, and is easily relatable to almost anyone reading it.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
A lot of text memes that get shared on Twitter, Threads, and elsewhere are simple lists that can be easily customized to make them your own.
SOURCE: https://www.threads.net/@kingarthurbaking/post/C-dJdaFuE5c/
11. Chipotle x Spirit Halloween Real Costumes
Instagram / Organic
Have you ever dreamed of dressing up as a Chipotle burrito for Halloween? You’re in luck.
WHY IT WORKS
Every year the Spirit Halloween costume package meme resurfaces and it’s always glorious. Finally, someone asked “what if we made the meme real?” Chipotle partnered with Spirit Halloween to sell these real costumes (Water cup, silver burrito, fork, napkin, and bag) in select stores.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
The costumes are basic (in the best and worst meanings of the word) while also being unique to Chipotle’s stores and how they talk about their retail experience on social. The water cup is always getting used to steal soda, guest take too many napkins etc. It gives the audience a unique IRL experience opportunity and expands the Chipotle brand world with real characters they can create content around.
SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_lDxAgvhZ1/
12. #WaterlilyWeighOff24
Tiktok / Organic
One botanical garden asked the important question “How much weight can our waterlily hold?”
WHY IT WORKS
Denver Botanic Gardens started the competition and challenged other gardens. Around 20 gardens across the US and globally participated. The Missouri Botanical Garden won with 145 lbs. Honorable mention to the Toledo Zoo entry because of this unhinged intro.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Contests drive engagement. For these gardens, it’s a “rising tide lifts all boats" situation because they’re mostly not competing with each other, but can collectively raise awareness together. These are smart strategic partnerships. Props to Denver who for starting the contest and putting themselves at the middle of such a successful campaign. This is also another great example of worldbuilding for each garden, building out characters and lore around the team members, flora, and science that make them so special.
Source: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ewQqyu/
13. Coinbase Native TikTok Ads
TikTok / Ad
Gen-Z TikTok engagement = FOMO + cringe + greenscreen + carousels.
WHY IT WORKS
Coinbase is targeting Gen-Z crypto novices using native tactics with simple FOMO based messaging about how to buy their first Bitcoin. This is one of the top performers of several variations they’ve tested in 2024
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
UGC is on the rise for organic and performance social, but I see most brands still ignoring simple tactical trends that work really well on TikTok and other channels. All of the ads in this series us greenscreen in a native way with the “floating head” affect that moves around the content. It’s low fidelity content that matches the platform. And while most in this series are videos, carousels are performing really well right now on TikTok.
SOURCE: No link
14. Australia Reptile Park
TikTok / Organic
This koala is cooler than me.
WHY IT WORKS
When you have a koala who thinks it’s posing for a magazine shoot, you do the only that makes sense, you give it a soundtrack.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
The wholesome and chill koala oddly fits really well with the song "Nasty" by American singer an songwriter Tinashe. It adds contrast and personality. All of a sudden the koala has an attitude. Take something soft and give it an edge. Take something loud and make it quiet. Play with the tension between the message and the visual.
SOURCE: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8e42XD5/
15. Book Carving Art
TikTok / Creator Art
When creating something new, what you take away can be more important than what you add.
WHY IT WORKS
When UK artist Shal Mines creates book carvings, she’s sculpting by cutting away the text in a book to reveal a diorama made from the illustrations within. Seeing the hours this takes shortened into a few second on TikTok is highly engaging.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Process timelapses are incredibly engaging, whether your creating art or mowing grass. They capture our imagination. This is also another example of artificial constraints and how powerful they can be for creativity.
SOURCE: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ewytf2/
16. Walt Disney World Video Meme
Instagram / Organic
The secret to great content is to build a few amusement parks.
WHY IT WORKS
They took a video of the ride that is visually interesting, evokes emotion, and turned it into a video meme with relevant and relatable message. The featured ride is Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom (Disney World in Orlando)
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
We don’t all have a rollercoasters, but adding text labels to a video and making it into a meme is a repeatable format. Keep this in mind for any interesting video content you come across and ask how it can be used to convey a funny or clever message.
SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C--TeRSuIwP/
17. Confessions of a digital marketer
Instagram / Ad
When a product solves your problem so well you begin to doubt everything.
WHY IT WORKS
They nailed the tone and humor of this ad. “I have full control of the funnel, but… is it suppose to be this easy?” Funnel.io is a Swedish company advertising in the US market and
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
This is a scripted ad that could have easily fallen flat. The video starts with the unexpected setting of a support group. The lower quality video adds to its authenticity and the counterintuitive copy of the script pulls you in. The on-camera talent also does a great job convincing us of his guilty conscious and doubting the quality of his work now that it’s so easy.
The ad concept gets my attention because it is contrarian. Start with a position that’s opposite what people expect to help capture attention.
SOURCE: https://instagram.com/p/C84U-DZtVVn/
18. Fidelity Scenic
Meta / Ad
The pool is small, but the relaxation is big.
WHY IT WORKS
The ad is aspirational and peaceful. Fidelity is targeting women investors with this stylish drone shot of someone relaxing in a pool in a luxury tropical location. It ties together a feeling a freedom, wealth, and mental health.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
Scenics are video content that typically shows a peaceful or tranquil scene with small pieces of movement or transition. Think of the fireplace videos you put on the TV at Christmas. Scenics capture attention because we’re use to much more happening in a video, especially ads and social content. Bonus points for the ASMR water sounds.
SOURCE: No link
19. HubSpot “Work Remote” Dreams
LinkedIn / Organic
When I grow up, I want to send memes.
WHY IT WORKS
Almost everyone aspires to work remote. Especially in a news cycle flooded with RTO stories. It’s relatable and connects to mental health trends.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
You expect the line “ever since I was a little girl” to be followed by “I wanted to be president” or a scientist, gold medal winner, etc. The surprise ending of “I wanted to work remote” taps into a big pain point for modern workers, and breaks the 4th wall a bit. The all lowercase copy and first-person voice all add to this.
20. Cheech & Chong Edibles Come For Idaho
Twitter / Ad
What did Idaho do to them you might ask?
WHY IT WORKS
The map and unexpected callout of Idaho creates more questions than it answers and grabs your attention. This ad creative was part of a larger PR campaign that Cheech and Chong created to encourage states like Idaho to loosen their strict weed policies.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
The minimal map image stands out while also leaning into the middle-funnel ad strategy of answering buying questions to hook an audience into the creative. “If they’re getting questions about shipping, people are buying these (and liking them?)” is the implied message/train of thought.
Idaho still has some of the strictest weed laws, which means no one is allowed any THC products there.
SOURCE: https://x.com/tommychong/status/1811713110471848262
FEEDBACK
Hit reply and let me know what you think of this first edition of the CREATIVE EDGE REPORT. What was your favorite piece of inspiration? What else would be useful to include?
CONTRIBUTE
Have something you think we should include in the next Report? Tag @jasonkeath on social or reply to this email. Thanks!
Why is the World Record Domino Fall so sastifying to watch? 😂