Paramount Gives Us A Fright, While Volvo Whisks Us Away: 5 Ads You Should Watch Right Now
Unruly every week scours the web for the latest and greatest in advertising so you can catch up on all the creatives you might have missed over the past 7 days.
Our 5 ads this week include an intriguing and interactive spot from Snickers, a heartwarming and thought provoking ad for the Great Ormond Street Hospital, and an equally thoughtful spot from Volvo.
Elsewhere on the list, Paramount Pictures brings back everybody’s favourite sub-genre of ad – the prankvert. In a clever movie teaser for its latest horror flick Rings, various bystanders also get a real fright while trying to buy new TVs.
Finally, we’ve got the first major Super Bowl ad from Mercedes-Benz. The spot is directed by the Cohen brothers and stars Peter Fonda (Jane Fonda’s brother) in a short but sweet ad set in a classic American dive bar.
Enjoy!
5. Snickers – Wrestler
Brands are slowly realising that engaging audiences in an interactive way can create an ad experience that sticks with them for a long time. This innovative ad from Snickers does just that, by adding a layer of gamification to its short spot. It’s simple enough: hit pause to grab the Snickers bar – but is certainly a novel way to interact with viewers.
4. Rings (Paramount Pictures) – TV Store Prank
Prankverts are back! It’s been a while since we’ve seen a brand give members of the public a good scare, but this teaser ad for Rings, the latest instalment in hugely successful The Ring horror franchise, is a great example of how effective the format can be. It’s a simple set-up: a girl hidden behind a screen jumps out on unsuspecting customers, but the reactions are excellent and the ad gets cut-through thanks to the recent lull in this type of ad.
3. Great Ormond Street Hospital – Ordinary World
For children who spend weeks, and sometimes months, in a hospital bed the outside world can seem like a wonderland. That’s the concept for this brilliant ad for Great Ormond Street Hospital, which presents simple activities like going to the park as amazing theme park-like attractions.
2. Mercedes-Benz – Easy Driver (Directed by The Coen Brothers)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvHFM8c7cPM
The Super Bowl is only a week away and brands have begun rolling out their big game spots. This ad from Mercedes-Benz, which sees Peter Fonda reprise his role as the Easy Rider, was directed by the acclaimed Cohen Brothers and packs in their trademark weirdness into a funny and digestible 60-second package.
1. Volvo – The Get Away Car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey2SL5kOtnM
Autos brands have been using the idea of escapism to sell cars for a long time, but this latest ad from Volvo goes a step further by encouraging drivers to live in the moment and avoid waiting too long for the perfect moment to get away. The ad uses a voiceover from philosopher Alan Watts in a surprising and effective way to create a uniquely thoughtful spot.
