Rodent Feasts & Scary Beasts: 5 Ads You Should Watch Right Now
It’s Halloween weekend! But before you get all dressed-up, why not check out the best ads from the past seven days?
We’ve got a great batch this week, with some of the biggest brands in the world releasing new spots – guaranteed to be treats, not tricks.
Under Armour returned to Adland this week with a new video starring the biggest name in basketball right now, Stephen Curry. The ad is familiar yet refreshing, further amplifying the brand’s message around the power of hard work, and intensive training.
We’ve also got a slightly less serious ad from GEICO, doing what it does best – being a bit odd. The ad features a group of racoons going through bins, and even has a spin-off cooking vlog series!
Without further ado, enjoy!
5. Under Armour – Curry: Make That Old
https://youtu.be/PSEOq0C-8Ug
This latest ad from Under Armour continues the brand’s commitment to connecting with the biggest sports stars in the world, and this time it’s Golden State’s Steph Curry. Fans, who are actually youth basketball players, are seen gathering to celebrate Curry’s achievements – which pushes him to do even better. The choice of music mirrors the contrast between Curry and the youths he has inspired, featuring a euphoric number from Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth Christ Orchestras cover of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Nobody’. The wide-lens shots and combination of characters make for a truly cinematic spot.
4. Beats By Dre Presents – Got No Strings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwQ9gPsmHHs
This new Beats by Dre ad has an all-star cast that is sure to catch the attention of many. Shining a light on the lives of various celebs, the ad integrates footage from Pinocchio with shots of the cast enjoying their headphones in a childlike, playful manner. The spot has a definite nostalgic quality that almost seems like it’s displaying a new way to enjoy things from our past. We also see a nod to one of advertising’s biggest jokes this year, the Taylor Swift pratfall – only this time it’s Amber Rose.
3. giffgaff – The Music Box
https://youtu.be/Vr-KjgnhS_Q
Spoofing the horror movie format is not new for giffgaff, and you can tell. This Halloween ad stood out mainly because of its production quality – featuring genuinely scary sound effects throughout. The silliness of its narrative leads the story to feature just about every Halloween figure you can think of from a vampire, ghost, poltergeist to zombies – paying homage to all the best Halloween movie classics.
2. GEICO – Raccoons, C’mon Try It! – It’s What You Do
https://youtu.be/Q8skzjsaJc8
GEICO is at it again this week with this fittingly bizarre ad featuring a gang of raccoons discussing the merits of various food. GEICO and The Martin Agency have extended this theme with some videos that poke fun at popular cooking tutorial vlogs, with the raccoons experimenting with their own “raccookin” sessions.
1. Virgin Trains – Flying is like bad sex
Virgin are back with a new ad, maintaining its reputation of tongue in cheek humour and innuendo, as couples sit down to discuss how they like to travel. Without pushing it too far, they keep it light hearted and very entertaining. The pace is perfect as nothing’s left hanging too long, and the jokes come thick and fast before there’s any indication of what’s being advertised. The ad stands out this week due to its relatively simple production.
