Three ads that caught my eye this week. One's a classic, one's fresh off the press, and one you've probably never seen. Let's get into it.
🏆 All-Timer
Partnership for a Drug-Free America - This Is Your Brain on Drugs
The fried egg PSA that sparked a thousand parodies. 'This is your brain. This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?' Simple, visceral metaphor that 92% of teens saw. Named 8th best commercial of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
🆕 New Kid on the Block
Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics - Event Food Posters
These ads turn winter sports into Italian desserts, which is the kind of idea that makes you mad you didn't think of it first. Cross-country skiing on tiramisu, alpine skiing down a melting gelato cone, snowboarding off an espresso cup, curling with aged cheese. It's so stupidly simple it loops back to genius. The metaphor does double duty, celebrating Italy's food culture while making winter sports feel tactile and fun instead of distant and cold. Every image is immediately shareable because it's both beautiful and weird. The restraint in the design (clean sans serif, minimal color, perfect product photography lighting) lets the concept breathe without getting gimmicky. That said, the campaign got called out for basically ripping off Tatsuya Tanaka, the Japanese miniature artist who's been doing tiny figures on food for years. His style is so distinctive that when you see it, you know it's his. Milano Cortina could've commissioned him directly, but instead they just copied the whole vibe. Makes you wonder if the brief was literally "do it like Tatsuya Tanaka but don't pay him." https://www.instagram.com/tanaka_tatsuya/
💎 Hidden Gem
British Airways - Look Up
Digital billboard with child pointing at actual BA planes flying overhead. Showed flight number and destination in real-time. Amazing example of sparking emotion.
Did you enjoy this week's dose of Ad Envy? Forward it to a friend. Got an ad that deserves a spot next week? Hit reply and let me know. Until next time, Elan