No. 001 / Ads Hacked / Vol. I
Ad campaigns,
taken apart.
We deconstruct real ad campaigns down to the elements that make them work — the hook, the frame, the insight, the media bet — so you can borrow what works and call out what doesn't.
· TV· Social· OOH· Print· Search· Audio· Influencer· Retail Media
Fig. 01 — A teardown in progress
Every element on every campaign, labeled.
Section 02
Featured teardowns
No. 001 · Social● Sharp-elbowed
Dumb Ways to Die — So dumb it's smart
A catchy, upbeat folk song about cute, jelly-bean-like characters dying in incredibly stupid ways.
Metro Trains· 2012· McCann Melbourne
No. 002 · TV / Video● Honest
McDonald's — Just say it with your eyebrows
A whole office communicates their shared desire for a post-work McDonald's run using only a synchronized flick of their eyebrows.
McDonald's· 2023· Leo Burnett UK
No. 003 · Social● Honest
Barbie — Come on Barbie, Let's Go Marketing
A hot pink billboard with nothing on it but a date: July 21.
Mattel / Warner Bros.· 2023· In-house (Mattel & Warner Bros.)
Section 03
The element library.
Every campaign is just a stack of elements. We name them so you can spot them — in someone else's ad, or in your own.
Browse all elements →hook
Hook
1 in library
frame
Frame
2 in library
insight
Insight
2 in library
production-move
Production move
2 in library
media-bet
Media bet
1 in library
targeting-cue
Targeting cue
1 in library
cultural-lever
Cultural lever
1 in library
cta
CTA
1 in library
risk-edge
Risk / edge
1 in library
Section 04
Latest drops
- 01Dumb Ways to Die — So dumb it's smartSocial● Sharp-elbowed
- 02McDonald's — Just say it with your eyebrowsTV / Video● Honest
- 03Barbie — Come on Barbie, Let's Go MarketingSocial● Honest
- 04Heinz — Ketchup and Seemingly RanchSocial● Honest
- 05TUMI x Lando Norris — Nothing is everythingSocial● Sharp-elbowed
- 06McDonald's — The 'As Featured In' MealSocial● Honest
Section 05 — from the High Caliber AI network