This month is loaded: legacy brands letting loose, startups leaning into chaos, and the best kind of weird creative energy running through the culture.

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Here's what caught my eye in October.

Ramp tapped The Office star Brian Baumgartner for its latest spot: a chaotic fintech “CFO challenge” that turned corporate burnout into theatre. The live-streamed event staged at flatiron parodied office-culture tropes while introducing Ramp’s finance tools as the hero in a battle of the ages: human CFO vs Ramp.

Throughout the day, Brian and other actors were working on processing company expenses manually while Ramp did it using their AI tool. Baumgartner’s deadpan timing gave SaaS a human face — and a memeable one.

🔗 Read more from New York Post

Bandit’s Chicago Marathon activation was a masterclass in community building. Events spanned from pre-race shake-outs to after-hours hangs, anchored by a pop-up space for gear, coffee, and DJ sets. It’s not just merch...it’s the brand as clubhouse for the modern runner. Plus, the spot they made to promote the activation and merch is a delightful Severance inspired short film.

You a Bandit fan? We made a movie about their creative team that goes live on Monday October 28th and you should come to the premiere party.

🔗 Bandit blog recap

Toms Juice tapped director Everett Ravens and Daydream Studios for a collection of sensory-rich shorts. A fever dream of percussive sound design rooted in the unique optimism and ambition of New York. It started rolling out in the spring and is still dropping reels featuring new neighbors every month. Creative Directed by Mitch Goldstein, Supreme styling by Zoey Radford Scott and a full creative village (cinematographer Lorenzo Pace, sound by Ayo Douson, color by Ceen), it feels less like an ad and more like a neighborhood love letter. The tagline: "Find your juice and enjoy every moment.”

It’s just smart that they keep casting neighbors (whether they’re talent or civilians). It's a smart storytelling play + I love the finished product of these spots.

🔗 Watch the Reel

IKEA’s Vinterfint holiday collab with designer Gustaf Westman reimagines cozy winter minimalism through chunky curves and bubble-gum color. The social campaign made interiors people foam at the mouth. The ferry ride. The daddy’s little meatball plate tshirt. The yogurt shop visit. The custom map. The TikToks of mobs heading to Red Hook.

I feel like he runs his own social but if you know who does please @ me.

🔗 Instagram Carousel

We (totally objectively, of course) awarded ourselves The Deep Breath Participation 🏆 this month for... The Breaking & Entering Variety Show
We made something we hope would make the creatives we built Air for proud. Episode 1 of our new Variety Show is live, and it's a love letter to the weird, wonderful world of advertising.

🔗 Watch the show

Want more inspo and creative ephemera? We've got 10 campaigns in our monthly moodboard.

You don’t have to shock people to stand out - but you do need to commit to a point of view.

This month’s best work came from brands that were bold enough to be specific: a fintech with sitcom humor, a legacy retailer in its coquette era, a snack brand leaning into body horror, and a politician who markets like an indie filmmaker.

The trend line? Distinctiveness through tone. Every great campaign this month weaponized style - not just message. Whether that meant tactile sound design (Toms Juice), maximalist object design (IKEA x Gustaf Westman), or confident absurdity (Ramp) - they all chose a register and went all in.

If there’s a lesson for other brands, it’s this: stop chasing cultural moments, start crafting tonal worlds. Pick a lane so vividly that people can feel it, not just scroll past it.

See you online,
Lou

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