FEATURE

When the Paperwork Was the Whole Idea

From earnings reports to grocery receipts, 5 ads built around fixed formats

Sometimes the content of an idea turns out to be a document itself. The five ads gathered here all take a fixed format — an earnings report, a shop receipt — and make it the very body of the campaign. Bang & Olufsen had an opera ensemble interpret the key points of its financial results, turning them into a single piece of music; the premium version got a 37% response rate. A bank in Orlando added a climate profile to its monthly card statements, showing how much strain each purchase put on the planet. Further along you'll find a legally binding contract made with farmers, a wedding invitation drawn by a child, and a receipt for milk and diapers. Each format reaches a different person in a different place. There's no particular logic to the order here — the pieces simply run from the oldest year to the newest, 2010 to 2025.

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