Top Ads of the Week: KFC, McDonald’s, and More

Adweek identified 12 notable advertising campaigns during the week ending April 3, 2026, highlighting a range of creative strategies from true-crime parody to high-profile celebrity collaborations.

The selected campaigns featured an eclectic mix of brands, including KFC, Pringles, McDonald’s, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Verizon, utilizing diverse formats to engage consumers.

Verizon’s Genre-Bending Narrative

Verizon released a campaign titled Look Behind You, which utilizes a genre-bending approach. The advertisement features Connor Storrie in a remote cabin setting.

The narrative focuses on Storrie feeling increasingly disturbed and paranoid following a series of unexplained events, including mysterious phone calls and music that blasts out randomly.

Parody and Celebrity Partnerships

e.l.f. Cosmetics employed a true-crime parody for its latest creative effort. The campaign investigates territorial disputes over cosmetic jurisdiction.

In a debut for the brand 1664, the campaign features three versions of actor Robert Pattinson.

Other major brands engaged in unconventional partnerships during this period:

• McDonald’s collaborated with K-Pop Demon Hunters.
• Liquid Death entered into a collaboration with Taylor Morrison.

Traditional and Character-Driven Creative

KFC featured a campaign centered on a bopping Colonel Sanders.

Cadbury utilized a more traditional approach by implementing an old-school Easter egg hunt as part of its creative strategy.