Best Ads of the Week: Key Findings
- Heritage brands dominated creative strategies by remixing iconic jingles and signature assets to attract younger and older audiences.
- Nostalgia marketing proved effective when brands updated familiar touchstones with contemporary music, gaming platforms, and humor.
- Cross-platform integration became essential as campaigns connected gaming experiences, social media content, and physical activations.
Last week's standout campaigns show how legacy brands can successfully modernize their approach without losing their core identity.
From coffee companies remixing decades-old jingles to cereal brands partnering with rap artists, iconic names used nostalgia as a bridge to younger demographics.
The common thread here is how these brands managed to celebrate their heritage without feeling stuck in the past, creating campaigns that speak to multiple generations.
1. Folgers: 'The Best Part of Wakin' Up' by PSOne & BBH USA
Folgers remixed its iconic jingle with seven hit "wake-up" songs from multiple decades, including tracks from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Evanescence, and Aretha Franklin.
Created by PSOne and BBH USA with direction by Calmatic, the campaign addresses the brand's image challenges as specialty coffee reaches a 14-year high.
The multi-genre approach keeps the Folgers melody intact, positioning the 175-year-old brand as culturally relevant to contemporary audiences.
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2. Pringles: 'Pass the Pringles' by AMV BBDO
Pringles launched the campaign across 14 European markets with AMV BBDO, featuring a hero film showing acrobatic window cleaners sharing snacks as they work between skyscrapers.
It includes over 600 localized assets and a TikTok mission encouraging users to capture spontaneous acts of kindness, creating a chain reaction of playful connections.
High-impact OOH placements feature astronauts, aliens, and gamers connected by the act of passing a Pringles tube, setting up the brand as a social connector that strengthens community bonds.
3. LinkedIn: 'The Network that Works For You' by McCann New York
LinkedIn launched the effort with McCann New York, using workplace comedy to highlight awkward professional moments while positioning the platform as a solution for career growth.
It features scenarios like uncomfortable team lunches and difficult bosses, with witty lines such as, "LinkedIn doesn't make your boss easier to deal with... but it does connect you to your next one."
The multi-channel approach aims to humanize the platform's professional services by acknowledging real workplace challenges with humor.
4. Jack in the Box: 'Hot Mess Anniversary Tour'
Jack in the Box brought back its Hot Mess Burger after more than a decade to celebrate the chain's 75th anniversary, pairing the relaunch with a rock-themed multi-city tour.
The campaign remakes the brand's 2013 Meat Riot commercial and includes limited-edition antenna balls, capitalizing on years of fan requests across social media.
The experiential tour runs from San Diego to Los Angeles to Austin, creating shareable moments while positioning the burger as a throwback classic with cult following status.
5. Frosted Flakes: 'Hey Tony'
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes partnered with rap artist JID to remix its '90s jingle, blending the artist's flow with verses designed to reflect Tony the Tiger's motivational energy.
The track is available on streaming platforms and paired with limited-edition merch and a collectible cereal box featuring custom Tony and JID artwork.
The campaign launches at Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Day Ones Bowl Game in JID's hometown of Atlanta, representing sound-led branding that can live outside traditional marketing.
This week's campaigns revealed key strategies for heritage brand modernization:
- Update signature assets without losing recognition by maintaining core melodies or visual elements while adding contemporary production.
- Partner with authentic cultural figures who genuinely connect with target demographics through shared experiences and credible collabs.
- Extend campaigns through experiential elements that create social media moments and deepen brand engagement.
Brands that successfully balance nostalgia with innovation can capture both loyal customers and new audiences without alienating either group.
Our Pick: Folgers
We chose Folgers because it shows the smartest approach to updating a classic brand for modern audiences that we've seen recently.
The campaign taps into a proven strategy, as recent data shows 68% of Gen Z and 59% of Millennials respond positively to nostalgia marketing and throwback branding.
It also arrives as platforms like TikTok have popularized sophisticated brewing content, creating pressure for established brands to stand out more.
The coffee brand's solution was clever in its execution: remix their beloved jingle with seven different wake-up songs that span multiple decades and genres.
BBH USA and PSOne created something that feels both familiar and fresh, allowing Folgers to connect with Gen Z audiences while respecting the brand heritage that existing customers love.
Don't miss our roundup of the 15 best Super Bowl ads featuring Bad Bunny, Mike Tyson, Dunkin's nostalgic sitcom parody, and more breakthrough campaigns from advertising's biggest night.
Heritage brands modernizing their creative approach need agencies that understand how to balance nostalgia with contemporary cultural relevance.
Explore the top creative agencies that help brands turn legacy assets into modern marketing success stories.
