In this week’s Our Take, a campaign flips the script on autism, an anti-poverty campaign cleans up, and Dove de-funks the funk, and audio accessibility brings the sound of a masterpiece.
Autism with Attitude
Autistica’s new campaign “See Us as Individuals, Not Stereotypes” is a smart, funny and seriously refreshing take on what it really means to be autistic.
Created by the folks at House 337 and directed by the Emmy-nominated Sindha Agha, the ad centres on an autistic woman showing us her take on society’s attitude towards people with autism. The ad has exactly the right amount of sass to grab your attention, and maybe even get you to question your own attitudes. Bottom line – maybe you’re the problem.
What we love most is how it brings autistic voices into the spotlight. Autistic people helped shape this campaign from the start, making sure it didn’t fall into the usual trap of being aboutthem instead of by them.
So hats off to Autistica for giving us something meaningful and memorable this World Autism Acceptance Month. More of this please.
Dove fights the concert funk
If you’ve ever found yourself nose-deep in someone else’s armpit at a concert, Dove’s got your back – and your front, and your everything else. Teaming up with pop provocateur Charli XCX, Dove has rolled out “Hot Seats,” promoting its ‘whole body deo’, just in time for festival season funk.
Inspired by over 56 million TikTok views bemoaning the scent-scape of sweaty shows, the campaign turns music mayhem into a deodorant demo. A scavenger hunt for much sought-after Charli XCX concert tickets is grabbing attention, with Dove’s digital billboard truck dropping Reddit clues like a fresh-scent fairy godmother on wheels.
A Unilever brand diving nose-first into pop culture? That’s savvy. And a reminder that even the brattiest of us deserve to dance without the eau de despair.
New Feelings for Old Masters
In Dolby’s latest cultural experiment, The Sound of a Masterpiece, the world’s most iconic artworks have been reimagined as multi-sensory sonic experiences. The eerie tension of The Scream unravels through industrial synths. The dreamy shimmer of Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond is evoked with ambient strings. And there’s something about hearing the Mona Lisa breathe that gives us goosebumps.
It’s a bold and beautiful step in the direction of accessible culture, using Dolby Atmos spatial audio to present rich, immersive soundtracks that interpret everything a painting feels like – emotionally, visually, and historically.
The works were created especially for blind and visually impaired people across the UK, but in a wonderful example of reverse-accessibility, the project offers an enhanced artistic experience to everyone.
The Sound of a Masterpiece isn’t just a tech flex. These are masterpieces in their own right.
Soapy Snack vs Dirty System
What if you had to choose between lunch and loo roll? That’s the grim reality for over 5 million adults in the UK. Hygiene poverty – where people can’t afford basics like soap, deodorant, or toothpaste – doesn’t just hit wallets, it hits dignity, health and opportunity.
The Edible Soap is a surreal, statement-making protest product from Saatchi & Saatchi, The Good Wash, and The Hygiene Bank. It’s a soap you can eat, designed to hammer home a brutal truth: for millions, hygiene is a luxury they can’t afford.
The Hygiene Bank says it best: being clean isn’t a privilege, it’s a basic human right. But right now, families are skipping showers to keep the fridge stocked. This campaign doesn’t just raise awareness – it raises eyebrows and funds. All profits go to The Hygiene Bank, helping to stock community hubs with essential hygiene products, while also backing a petition to scrap VAT on soap.
Cleanliness shouldn’t come at the cost of a meal. This campaign reminds us: the system’s dirty – and we need to clean it up.