There's a version of "showing up for a cultural moment" that's cynical. Think, rainbow logos on LinkedIn in June. That's not what this month's campaigns did.

The work that caught my eye in April was built around moments that were already in motion: a franchise fandom cresting, a league hitting its anniversary, a month that belongs to a single sport… And met them with something that actually warranted the attention. No borrowed credibility (see: no commenting from the brand account to look like you’re in on it in a bigger way). Just brands that read the room early, put real creative behind it, and showed up like they meant it.

Here's what caught our eye in April.

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Verizon cast Heated Rivalry breakout Connor Storrie in "Look Behind You," a nearly five-minute horror short where Storrie arrives at a…cottage, and a series of increasingly sinister events (flickering lights, heavy metal from the stereo, a mysterious knock at the door) turn out, one by one, to be butt-dials. The tagline at the end: "The best butt. The best network."

Created by agency X&O, and directed by Nia Dacosta, the spot is a committed 90s slasher parody in the vein of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It went viral almost immediately, of course, because the Heated Rivalry fandom had already made Storrie one of the most-watched new butts faces in pop culture and Verizon leaned in.

Telecom is pretty boring. This wasn’t.

Watch "Look Behind You" →

The WNBA's 30th anniversary didn't need to be a big deal. Real W fans will tell you that the league’s looking for their flowers after the new CBA was reached finally paying players a larger revenue share, in addition to other benefits they’ve long gone without.

Pavlov said it’s good to reward behavior you want to see more of, so here’s why I thought their anniversary campaign deserved a top 3 slot:

It opened last week with Raising GOATs, a film created with Lucky Generals and starring Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, who helped the Houston Comets win the first four WNBA championships. In the spot, she's literally surrounded by baby goats while highlight footage of today's young stars runs behind her. It’s the first of three films planned across the season: Signatures will spotlight active All-Stars shaping the game's future, and Confetti will close the year with a tribute to the championship moment. Alongside the films, the WNBA is running Court Origins throwback nights with original 1997-era uniforms, a Legacy Trail monthly merch drop program, and a Top 30 Plays series counting down the most iconic moments in league history. It's a full-season platform, which is the right call if they want their message to withstand the CBA press.

The league's past finally has the audience it always deserved. The 2026 season tips off May 8. Championship game ad spots hit $1.5 million this year for the first time.

I believe this is what they call spending money to make money, Commissioner!

Catch the opening film →

Dick's and Nike co-created "The Scouts Are Out" for March Madness a campaign built around the idea that the next generation of hoopers could be scouted in the sneaker aisle.

The anchor spot, styled like a movie trailer, follows Lil Dicky and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi as veteran scouts prowling Dick's stores for emerging talent. Cameos from Jayson Tatum, Sabrina Ionescu, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephon Castle, and top high school recruit Tyran Stokes fill out the roster.

Taurasi being cast as the authoritative scout of the pair reflects something broader happening in how the best sports marketing is thinking about women's basketball: not as a category to be included, but as a lens to build from.

Watch the scouts work →

Charli XCX sent a voice note to her SMS marketing list this week with one message: something's coming. "I've been feeling so inspired. I've been making things, and I can't wait to share them with you."

No release date, no title, no press release. Just her voice, in your pocket. Pair that with behind-the-scenes studio photos quietly posted to her newly renamed burner account, @b.sides, and you have the Angels preparing for another summer of Charli. The BRAT era proved she understood that intimacy at scale is its own kind of power. This is the same move, refined: an SMS list most brands use for discount codes, repurposed into something that actually sounds like a friend.

Listen to the text my friend Evan got →

Every year, the Webby Awards draw about 17,000 submissions from across the internet of the best work in digital, web, film, social, and beyond. This year, Air landed six times.

Three nominations: The Table Read in Video & Film, B2B; Where All Creators Are Heroes for Best Creative Use of AI & Technology; and air.inc in Web Services & Applications.

Three honorees: Best User Experience in Mobile and Web; Best Launch or Drop for Where All Creators Are Heroes; and Best Visual Design (Aesthetic) in Websites & Mobile Sites.

The People's Choice vote is open now. One vote per category per day, and the window closes April 16th.

Vote here →

Want more inspo and creative ephemera? There's more campaigns we watched in our monthly moodboard.

Showing up at the right moment takes years of preparation. Verizon had to find the right talent and the right director. Dick's has been building its NCAA partnership since 2023. The WNBA has been investing in this moment for thirty years. None of it looks like preparation in the final output - which is the point.

The throughline: the best work this month didn't arrive hoping to be noticed. It arrived ready.

See you next month,
Lou
Content + Campaign Manager, Air

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