Adobe's Oscars Opus

Adobe has had quite a few creative hits over the years. Most famously, in 2015, the brand celebrated 25 years of Photoshop with a sweeping, brilliant ad from Goodby Silverstein & Partners set to Aerosmith's "Dream On."

Now the brand and agency have come together for an Oscars spot touting the full suite of Adobe products. Much like the ad from five years ago, it's a creative feast. Yet this time, instead of one product, we get the whole shebang—a hypnotic mixed-media journey around the brand's tools.

Set to "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the ad's imagery features Make Art Not War, a play on a familiar phrase, a psychedelic illustration of Frida Kahlo, and cameos from activist Malala Yousafzai and Grammy winner Billie Eilish.

Over 1,000 artists created the images in the ad, and the brand thanks them all with over three minutes of credits.

It's one of the biggest advertising nights of the year, right on the heels of another colossal night (the agency had a pretty good run at the Super Bowl). And we don't know who will win Oscars this time around (smart money on Brad Pitt), but Adobe and GS&P will undoubtedly make a significant impact.

Doug Zanger
Senior Editor, Agencies and Creativity
doug.zanger@adweek.com

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