A view from Academy Members
Jay Phillips and Neil Clarke, creative partners, Leagas Delaney
We wondered if these five spots ran in the same ad break, which would we remember most? Which would win the race for our attention?
Amazon Books hooked us with its cold open. The conceit is ace, characters lie dormant until we pick our book back up. Great moments, great craft. I’m still not sure how Amazon brings a story to life more than the book itself, but it works.
Numan takes on erectile dysfunction with the help of a canary. Because, like a canary, ED can be an early warning sign of things like heart disease.
Škoda riffs on curtain-twitching neighbours, suggesting you might look like a tofu-eating member of the wokerati if you drive their car. Don’t worry, they’re only joking.
Columbia’s ad is gorgeous, insightful, and dripping with craft. No surprise, given the team involved. So jealous of this one. It was leading by a length until this young filly from the wrong side of the Pennines appeared at the close.
Educating Yorkshire. Absolutely joyous from start to finish. Getting this on our screens must have taken a herculean effort. It wins the ad break by a nose, but only just. Columbia put up a fight. Maybe we’ll see the rematch in Cannes next year?
Who will the Thinkbox Academy vote for? And who gets your vote? Tweet us @ThinkboxTV using #Thinkboxes and view all the previous winners at www.thinkbox.tv/thethinkboxes
The Thinkboxes shortlist – July/August 2025
Amazon Books: “Bring a book to life”
The moment a reader opens a book animating the frozen worlds inside is dramatised in this film – the hero ad for a new Amazon Books campaign intended to bring to life the magical partnership between authors and readers. From a chaotic post-apocalyptic chase and a 1950s Berlin train station, a debauched manor and a samurai duel, each world is paused when the reader looks away from the page – and reignites the moment they return. The end result is a cinematic love letter to the irreplaceable power — and thrill — of reading.
Agency: Droga 5 London Creative team: Lawrence Seftel; Wil Maxey; Elliott White; Tara Ford Client: Ben Creasy, global head of brand marketing and social Production company: Steve Rogers Director: Biscuit Filmworks UK x Revolver
Channel 4: “School’s back”
Channel 4 has marked the return of its popular series Educating Yorkshire with a student-made trailer directed by Dougal Wilson that showcases their unique skills, humour and talents. The one-take style spot stars the students at Yorkshire school Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury, which features in the series. The action begins with the pupils being told to come up with ideas for the trailer. As the kids float ideas that they fear are too hard to pull off, the ad takes viewers on an all-singing and dancing school tour as students perform science experiments, make music and sport costumes with special effects. There’s also a dinner lady singing a solo and a pupil shot from a cannon. The students even composed and performed the soundtrack song, “School’s back”.
Agency: 4Creative Creative team: Dan Warner, creative director; Andy Vasey, creative director; Stuart Gittings, senior creative; Reuben Dangoor, senior creative Client: Katie Jackson, chief marketing officer Production company: Blink Productions Director: Dougal Wilson
Columbia Sportswear: “Engineered for whatever”
Carnage rules in this high-energy spot for Columbia Sportswear that flips traditional outdoor apparel tropes with people hunted by ravenous vultures, pancaked by hidden potholes and rag-dolled by collapsing snow drifts to show the brand’s sportswear can cope with anything. The film even has a darkly comedic cameo by mountaineer Aron Ralston, known globally for surviving a canyoneering accident by amputating his own arm in order to survive. The soundtrack features a thrash metal cover of Irving Berlin classic “Blue skies”.
Agency: Adam & Eve/DDB Creative team: Ant Nelson, chief creative officer; Mike Sutherland, chief creative officer; William Cottam, creative director; James Crosby, creative director; Ben Robinson, creative; Mike Whiteside, creative Client: Matt Sutton, senior vice president and head of marketing Production company: Smuggler Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Numan: “The canary”
In digital health platform Numan’s surreal TV ad, a country-singing canary reframes erectile dysfunction (ED) as more than a bedroom issue. The spot opens with romantic music and a young couple getting intimate. But then the pair are interrupted by a canary that emerges from the man’s open fly. “Your erectile dysfunction’s got something to say,” the bird sings as it explains that ED can signal a variety of different underlying health issues. As it flies away, a hand emerges from the man’s trousers holding a mobile phone.
Agency: Numan Studios Creative team: Numan Studios in collaboration with creatives Sam Hughes & Michaela Panesse Client: James Kennedy, director of brand marketing Production company: MJZ Director: Steve Ayson
Škoda: “Curtain twitchers”
Curtain-twitching neighbours judge the owners of a new electric car in this humorous spot for Škoda that highlights outdated EV stereotypes to challenge them head on. “They must be part of a cult”, “I bet they bought the car with crypto” and “Jeffrey reckons they wear sandals” are just some of the comments made. But as neighbours emerge from their homes to stare, they discover the EV-owners are just an ordinary family – underlining Škoda’s efforts to position itself as an approachable, yet desirable, entry point to EVs.
Agency: Leo UK Creative team: Graham Lakeland, creative director; Chaz Mather, senior creative; Lucy Jones, senior creative Client: Kirsten Stagg, marketing director Production company: Biscuit Filmworks Director: Damien Shatford
GREAT WORK? HEAD TO THE THINKBOX HUB
Thinkbox is the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, in all its forms. Its shareholders are Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media and UKTV. Thinkbox works with the marketing community with a single ambition: to help advertisers get the best out of today’s TV.