The work made with creative technology that stopped marketers in their tracks

Shahnaz Ahmed, director, creative & innovation, Social Element: “Great creative tech work doesn’t have to be huge. Two projects stood out at Cannes Lions last month. Both were simple, smart and refreshingly not over-engineered. Ikea’s ‘U up?’ slid into people’s DMs late at night with an iconic flirty message. Anyone who replied got a mattress discount. It was funny, timely, brand-relevant and it worked, boosting sales and winning multiple Lions. Then, Lidl’s ‘Lidlize’ used AI to turn any object into Lidl-branded merch. Fans rushed to create their own and the most-liked idea, a Lidl bike, is now rolling out in 1,500 stores. These weren’t massive campaign platforms, but joyful, social and actionable ideas that used technology in simple but powerful ways. Size isn’t everything. Sometimes, a sharp insight and smart execution are what cut through.”

Michael Ruby, president, Park & Battery: “I’ve seen a lot of great tech-led creative. But ‘Field Trip to Mars’ stands among the best of the best. It’s not just that Lockheed Martin turned a school bus into a functioning, full-immersion VR headset using GPS, electric glass, 4K transparent LCDs and a laser velocimeter. It’s that they hid the tech in plain sight and made a dozen kids believe they were on another planet. No goggles. No headsets. Just a seemingly normal bus and a mind-blowing journey mapped on to the streets of Washington, DC in real-time. It was VR redefined, not as spectacle, but as story. The kind of experience that makes kids dream bigger and makes grownups wish they were back in science class.”

Mike Scott, executive creative director, SocialChain: “Fold7’s ‘Nature Hits Different’ for Original Source stopped me in my tracks. It didn’t try to hide the fact it was made with AI; it celebrated it. The visuals were chaotic, dreamlike and surreal, like someone gave a neural network a bunch of acid and a moodboard. It wasn’t trying to pass for human-made. It leaned all the way into the strangeness of AI and made that its creative signature. In a landscape where most brands are using AI to replicate the norm, this did the exact opposite. It was a reminder that the real creative opportunity with AI isn’t in polishing outputs, it’s in letting the weirdness in. The ad didn’t just use the tool; it let the tool take the lead. The result is something you couldn’t scroll past even if you tried.”

Al Mackie, chief creative officer, Rapp: “#StillSpeakingUp by Reporters Without Borders may feel like old news in the fast-moving world of tech and creativity, but its impact still resonates. The campaign used AI to bring murdered journalist Javier Valdez back to life (on national TV) to directly address Mexico’s president. His digitally resurrected voice demanded justice for himself and his silenced colleagues, forcing a nation to confront the cost of truth-telling. Beyond that powerful moment, the platform gave at-risk journalists a protective strategy: publish under the names of those already killed. A chilling workaround that merged technology, creativity and activism in a way that still feels radical. In a time when AI is often reduced to gimmickry or fear, this work remains a blueprint for how it can be wielded with purpose. Outdated? Maybe in format. But not in spirit. The fusion of storytelling and innovation here is as relevant as ever.”

Matt Mitchell, creative director, AnalogFolk Europe: “Coca-Cola’s ironically-named AI-generated ‘Real Magic’ from last Christmas put a huge smile on my face. Not because it was good (it wasn’t) but because it immediately demonstrated the power – and limitations – of the technology and showed how creative agencies can survive in the era of AI. Ignoring the uncanny movements and glazed corpse eyes, the ad is a perfect version of what it was meant to be: generic, glossy, festive ‘content.’ It’s proof that AI tools have reached parity with that big budget, bland, box-ticking side of our industry. So we can stop worrying about those briefs now. We never liked them anyway. What’s left is everything else. Original creative thinking, meaningful contributions to culture, physical experiences that become digital stories, collaborations with genuinely talented people. That’s the stuff that will float to the top of the rapidly rising ocean of shiny AI-generated fluff. That’s the real magic.”

Bas Korsten, global chief creative officer, innovation, VML: “A brain-changing experience. That is what someone called watching the immersive short film ’Submerged’ through the Apple Vision Pro headset. The claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a submarine comes to life in an eerily real way because of the high-quality, super-immersive 180-degree field of view. You feel like you’re in the middle of the action. It’s by far the most engaging film experience I’ve ever had. It shows the incredible potential for storytelling in the future. A new frontier: you feel it in your bones. It’s so profound that I don’t know how I would feel after two hours with the Apple Vision Pro on. But the 17 minutes that Submerged takes are making me want to see more.”

Philipp Sens, group creative director, Monks: “When I first saw Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Heart Part 5’ deepfake video, it landed with force – emotional, political, creative. The AI morphing wasn’t a party trick; it was meaningfully used. Culture didn’t wait for permission; it picked up the tech and did something real with it. While brands were still cautiously circling web3 decks, this felt like a creative leap. It showed that AI could carry narrative weight, not just novelty. Three years on, the tools have exploded. But the ideas? Still lagging. Too much polish, not enough guts. That video is a reminder: tech doesn’t need our approval to evolve, but creativity should damn well try to keep up.”

Chris Rhodes, founder and creative director, Experience: “As an experience designer, I’m drawn to moments that blend spectacle with craft. One of the most striking I’ve seen was a huge flying dragon projected beneath a bridge to launch How to Train Your Dragon. It used large-scale gauze projection, an old theatre trick made powerful again by today’s ultra-bright laser projectors. Simple, eerie, unforgettable. It reminded me that the best ideas often aren’t new, just newly executed. Pepper’s Ghost, a 19th-century illusion that creates hologram-like effects, is another example being reinvented with modern tech. These effects are no longer just tricks; they are audience-grabbing magic. And now, with real-time rendering, spatial audio and AI entering the mix, the next wave of creative storytelling tech is going to be something else entirely.”

Todd Triplett, executive creative director, Movers+Shakers: “A few weeks ago, I came across Skinny’s campaign featuring Liz Wright, an everyday customer turned AI brand ambassador. It stopped me cold. Not only because the tech was impressive, but because it felt…respectful. They didn’t just clone Liz’s voice and face; they kept her in the loop throughout the process, (presumably) compensated her well and labeled everything transparently. That’s the kind of future I envision. One where creativity and consent co-exist. Where we don’t just use people’s likeness – we partner with them. As someone working at the edge of social, culture and tech, I find that incredibly hopeful. The real magic isn’t just in what AI can make, but who it uplifts along the way.”

Stephen Curry, executive creative director, Lewis: “Rory Flynn’s recent spec spot for Dunkin’ opened my eyes to the possibilities of Google Veo 3. It reminds me that while AI does the legwork, the beautiful thing is that we still get to bring our personality, our humor and our sarcasm to the party.”

Martin Magner, chief creative officer and pop sensation, Sounds Fun: “When Elf.Tech dropped, it felt like a revelation to me. Grimes turning herself into a plug-in was chaotic, punk and strangely generous, very much in line with who she is. I discovered so many artists across TikTok who used the tools to blow out production mistakes into incredible universes. It truly invited experimentation over perfection. Today, we’re seeing Tata, Timbaland’s new AI-powered artist, and suddenly it’s all feeling cleaner, slicker and more transactional. As the biggest Ashley O fan, Tata’s release has annoyed me and left me feeling a little uneasy about it all. The evolution of A-pop is interesting, but it’s edging toward control, where the big music overlords will continue trying to puppeteer everything. Timbaland should focus on releasing more like Shock Value 2 instead of replacing emerging artists with AI. It’s dangerous for men in power to keep reframing ego as innovation.”

Katy Hindley, innovation director, Posterscope: “Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later is such a cool reminder of what’s possible with the tech we carry around every day. He shot the whole thing on iPhone 15 Pro Max (20 phones, which he adapted) and used drones to grab those big, cinematic shots. The result is a gritty, intense film that still looks epic. For advertisers, this is a wake-up call. You don’t need a massive crew or Hollywood budget to make something that looks incredible. With just a smartphone and a drone, you can shoot fast, stay nimble and tell a powerful story. It’s great for social and DOOH content, quick turnarounds or anything that needs to feel real and immediate. Boyle’s approach shows that with the right idea and a bit of boldness, everyday tech can totally punch above its weight.”

Carl Eatson, creative director, Zeal: “Recently, I was travelling through Bangkok airport and came across a scaled-down, anamorphic experience in duty free (think a mini Piccadilly Circus or shrunken Times Square billboard). Not only did an oversized 3D Monkey Shoulder whisky bottle fly past the ears of travellers, but it also doubled up as an impressive display. This wasn’t necessarily the thing that ‘blew my mind’ the most (although it nearly made me miss my flight), but as Bob Dylan once sang, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin.’ In retail, they certainly are, Bob. In a channel that has historically OD’d on cardboard and, for as long as I can remember, been perceived as the ‘ugly duckling’ of creativity, the now endless opportunities and ever-changing possibilities involving tech in retail, especially for agencies like us, have become electrifying for creatives to play with. That’s what blows my mind.”

James Baines, head of creative, Untold Fable: “When we talk about technology and its application to creativity, it feels like we’re obsessed with whatever’s new. We forget that there are technologies that are the very backbone of our industry, constantly evolving and rarely considered early in creative planning. The Ember Freefly is a high-speed, slow-motion camera that is traditionally used to capture wildlife: the lengthening limbs of a cheetah as it hurtles across the ground. I was delighted to see it used to excellent effect by operator Tom Crowley for Leigh Powis and ProdCo’s Vaseline-smeared spot for Adidas Originals x Oasis, taking the idea of crowd surfing and nostalgia to submerge audiences in a wave of feeling. With the Ember Freefly, we slow to feel every brush of skin, burst of sweat and strobe of light. Masterful.”