Hails & Fails – October 24th 2025
As the nights draw in and Halloween looms, brands are getting creative, from spooky collabs and smart stunts to campaigns that remind us why subtlety still sells. British Airways proved that elegance in advertising isn’t dead yet, Columbia faced death head-on (literally), and Heineken brought humour to hybrid working. But while some brands were flying high, others came crashing down, quite literally, when Amazon’s servers went dark.
HAILS
British Airways captures the magic of flight
British Airways’ latest campaign, ‘Reflections‘, is a masterclass in elegant storytelling. Hiding its logo in plain sight, the film focuses on moments of quiet wonder rather than shouty branding. Sophisticated, subtle and effortlessly on-brand, it’s a refreshing reminder that calm confidence can stand out in a world full of noise.
Columbia faces death in style
Columbia Sportswear has taken Halloween marketing to the next level by teaming up with the Grim Reaper. The campaign, ‘Death Wishes’, features haunting visuals that show even the Reaper can’t resist Columbia’s cold-weather gear. Themed, witty and visually striking, it’s a killer concept that proves the brand knows how to embrace the season.
Heineken renames pubs ‘The Office’
Heineken has rebranded pubs across the UK as ‘The Office’ in a clever nod to hybrid workers. The idea, reminding people that the real after-work connection happens at the pub, hit home with anyone tired of Zoom calls and Teams chats. Throw in a free pint, and it’s easy to see why this tongue-in-cheek stunt resonated so well.
FAIL
Amazon grounded by global outage
It was a tech meltdown for the ages this week as Amazon Web Services went down, taking Ring, Alexa, Fortnite, Snapchat and countless other platforms with it. The outage caused chaos worldwide, leaving smart homes silent and social feeds frozen. For a company built on reliability and connection, it was an epic fail that proved even the biggest giants can’t escape the occasional crash.
