Ice Bars And Ice Bucket Challenges: 5 Ads You Should Watch Right Now

Homer Simpson does the Ice Bucket Challenge, Jean-Claude Van Damme wears double denim and the ‘city that never sleeps’ proves that it’s also the city that never shuts up. Yep, it’s just another week in AdLand!

So which ads have caught fire on the web over the last seven days? Here are our five picks.

Enjoy!

5. Coors Light – Ice Bar

Since Jean-Claude Van Damme first embraced self-parody in 2008’s meta action film JCVD, his subsequent career has been on irony overdrive. And while Coors Light’s Van Damme-starring ads have been around for a couple of years now, the latest ‘Ice Bar’ pushes his image to new limits.

Bedecked in his usual double denim and mullet (here used to drag a sledge uphill), the spot finds Van Damme’s outlandish alter-ego constructing his dream drinking spot the only way he knows how. That’s right, we’re talking spin kicks and karate chops.

If you have a child or younger sibling who wants to learn about the 1980s, then these ads will get them on their way.

4. Nike Football – ‘Fast’ starring Cristiano Ronaldo

Nike’s bid to make international athletes of all of us charges ahead with its Cristiano Ronaldo-starring teaser, ‘Fast’. The ‘cartoonification’ of football has already worked wonders for them, with flagship World Cup ad ‘The Last Game’ racking up nearly 1 million shares. Are the action figures soon to follow?

Judging by ‘Fast’, the answer must be, yes. Pitching Ronaldo as a cross between the Human Torch and Dash from The Incredibles, the spot opens the door for every famous footballer to be described with a pithy adjective. On second thoughts, let’s leave Luis Saurez out of that discussion, for decency’s sake.

3. Heineken – Quiet Please

We all know New York is the city that never sleeps, but is it also the city that never shuts up? To celebrate the US Open and tennis umpires’ famous ability to silence a crowd, Heineken tries to find out.

The challenge is deceptively simple: if contestants can find a way to silence New York’s bustling Union Square, they win two tickets to the US Open. If they fail, they’ll look pretty silly in front of a bunch of disgruntled New Yorkers. Needless to say, the stakes are high.

Like last year’s brilliant ‘Departure Roulette’, Heineken once again shows they have a knack for toying with public spaces.

2. GE – Drop Science

Proving that even large-scale industrial sites are alive with the sound of music, GE’s ‘Drop Science’ pairs electronic musician Matthew Dear with a microphone and countless thrumming machines. The result? 2014’s much-anticipated song of the summer.

OK, I exaggerate, but it’s still pretty impressive, considering the song is pieced together from whirring gears and firing pistons. For the dubstep fans out there, there’s even a pretty tidy drop (explained with the objectivity of a school science lesson) to keep you happy.

Furthermore, the chilly David Fincher-esque vibes of the tune somehow make factory maintenance seem cool and sexy.

1. Fox – Simpsons ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Anyone with a Facebook account and a pulse is already fully familiar with the Ice Bucket challenge, a social media phenomenon intended to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Following the masses of celebrities and civilians who’ve already taken the metaphorical plunge, Homer Simpson ducks back into relevance with a four-fingered, yellow-skinned take on it all.

In true Simpsons style, Homer’s challenge contains a lot more casual violence, as well as the expected shout-outs to the fans. At the very top, Homer’s nominations are “Flanders, Lenny and Flanders again”. Even if Homer’s effort is half-hearted, let’s hope it raises a little cash for the cause. To read more about ALS, visit www.alsa.org.