Campaigns We Loved in September
September was a funny one. On the one hand, it came with non-stop rain (seriously, ten days in a row?!), darker evenings, and that creeping reminder that summer is officially over. On the other, it still gave us some little bursts of creativity to brighten the gloom.
Granted, as we edge closer to Christmas the campaign world tends to slow down, most brands are already saving their budgets (and their best ideas) for festive season dominance. But that doesn’t mean September was a total write-off. Here’s what caught our eye…
Lime Bikes – Striking While It’s Hot (or Wet)
If you were anywhere near London in early September, you’ll remember the travel chaos caused by Tube strikes. Cue groans, packed buses, and very long walks. But Lime Bikes spotted the opportunity and swooped in with brilliantly timed adverts dotted around the city.
What worked so well here was the simplicity. No bells, no whistles, no overblown stunts, just a perfectly placed reminder that if the Tube wasn’t working, there was another way to get around. It’s the kind of campaign that makes you think, why didn’t more brands do this? Timing really is everything, and Lime nailed it.
REFY – NYFW Glow-Up
Now, you already know we’re big REFY fans in this office (we’ve got the brow gels to prove it). But their New York Fashion Week campaign this month genuinely stopped us in our tracks.
Instead of leaning on the usual tropes, young models, flawless faces, the kind of imagery you expect from beauty brands, they switched things up. They cast an older woman and highlighted their lipstick in the most literal way possible: applying it with an actual paintbrush. The result? A campaign that felt fresh, disruptive, and genuinely powerful.
By breaking out of the youth-centric mould, REFY made a point that makeup is for everyone, at every age. It’s inclusive, it’s bold, and it’s the kind of creative risk we’d love to see more of. Safe to say, they’ve kept their place as one of our beauty brand crushes.
Pantone x Coldplay – A Yellow Love Story
Coldplay have had quite the year (and not just because of the headlines…). But while gossip columns may have kept them busy, their summer tour also gave rise to some stunning creative campaigns. And one of the most eye-catching? Pantone’s collaboration.
It worked because it was so spot-on. Pantone is synonymous with bold, vibrant colour, and Coldplay are forever tied to one shade in particular: yellow. Bringing the two together in a campaign that celebrated that iconic connection just made sense. It was minimal, clever, and visually gorgeous.
Sometimes collaborations can feel a bit forced, two brands pushed together without much synergy, but this one was seamless. Yellow has never looked so good.
Crocs – Breaking the Aspect Ratio
Over on Instagram, Crocs decided to poke fun at one of the year’s strangest trends: those painfully skinny aspect ratio posts that no one asked for and everyone secretly hates. Instead of ignoring it, they leaned right in, posting their own distorted, narrow visuals that exaggerated the trend to hilarious effect.
There wasn’t a huge campaign behind it. No big launch, no shiny new product, just a single clever post that tapped into the moment and gave us all a much-needed laugh. And sometimes, that’s all you need to create buzz.
It’s also a reminder that not every campaign needs to be high-budget or months in the making. A witty social post, done well, can earn just as much attention. Crocs proved once again they know how to play the internet game.
So there we have it, September in campaigns. Not the busiest month on the calendar, but still full of little gems that caught our eye and gave us inspiration. Roll on October, we’ve got a feeling things are about to get interesting.
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