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● Honest
McDonald's — The 'As Featured In' Meal
A global meal composed entirely of menu items that have appeared in famous movies and TV shows, from Seinfeld to Loki.
McDonald's· 2023· Wieden+Kennedy New York
No. 002 · Influencer● Sharp-elbowed
CeraVe & Michael Cera — Trolling the Super Bowl
A celebrity with a serendipitously similar name to a brand starts a rumor that he founded it.
CeraVe· 2024· Ogilvy
No. 003 · Social● Sharp-elbowed
Coors Light — The Official Beer of Everything
An absurdly niche, instantly-sold-out piece of merch that doubles as a campaign announcement.
Coors Light· 2023· Mischief
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
- 01McDonald's — The 'As Featured In' MealSocial● Honest
- 02CeraVe & Michael Cera — Trolling the Super BowlInfluencer● Sharp-elbowed
- 03Coors Light — The Official Beer of EverythingSocial● Sharp-elbowed
- 04Tubi — Rabbit HoleTV / Video● Sharp-elbowed
- 05Anonymous finance banner — "Approved in 30 seconds"Display● Over the line
- 06Apple — "1984"TV / Video● Honest
Section 05 — from the High Caliber AI network