Terrifyingly Creepy Ads That Will Keep You Up At Night
Some ads seem designed to scare the shit out of us.
Whether it’s a viral marketing tool or hammering to get the point across, there are those creepy ads that you just can’t look away from, no matter how much you might want to. Here are some of B&T’s top picks:
Little Baby’s Ice Cream
Ice cream brand in the States, Little Baby’s Ice cream, has been known for delivering some of the creepiest ads. Its recent 30 second spot replaces the actor’s eyes with screaming mouths for “eyes scream”. Get it?
Another ad that is just as disturbing as the screaming eye sockets would be Little Baby’s ice cream man from a few years ago. As if scooping ice cream out of your head wasn’t creepy enough, check out the guy’s eyes.
THe Grim Reaper
In 1987 Aussies were shocked at the AIDS/HIV campaign for the National Advisory Committee on Aids (NACAIDS) created by Siimon Reynolds. Depicting humans as bowling pins, the Grim Reaper knocked them down, a symbolic reference to how the virus would affect the population.
In an interview with Peter Thompson from ABC in 2008, Reynolds explained how the idea came about.
“Me and my friends were doing a lot of bowling at the time,” he tells Thompson. “So bowling was in my head. I was bowling every week. And I used to love the animation at Christmas with… for Scrooge, where the Grim Reaper came and visited Scrooge. And I thought, ‘Well, maybe the Grim Reaper could machine-gun them.’ Then I thought, no, that’ll be a five-second ad and it’ll be too short. What’s another way he could kill them? He could bowl balls at them. And those two things came together.”
Kinder Surprise
The delicious chocolate egg that contained a tiny present precious to a small child was horrendously creepy when it came to life in the late 1980s.
Phones 4u
UK phone retailer Phones 4u came under fire in 2011 when a woman was haunted in the parking lot by a decrepit and unkempt ghost of a little girl in the company’s ad.
Another spot for the brand saw a man being chased in the darkened woods by a white-eyed and dishevelled zombie. The campaign ‘Missing our deals will haunt you’ received a number of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for its content and the time the ads were being broadcast.
Krinkles the Clown
Krinkles was the brand mascot for Post’s Sugar Krinkles Rice Cereal in the 1950s. He appears to get off on how much shit he’s getting people to ingest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-skXU70pO0k
Quitline
The public service announcements (PSA) from the Australian Government often have the shock factor element.
Take a look at the loss of breath.
Monsters
Deemed by some as the “creepiest and most terrifying” PSA in the world this Finish spot shows how children see their parents when they’ve been drinking.
The ad was created by Havas Worldwide for an anti-alcohol campaign message.
Play Hooky and Die
The PSA-style ad that saw teenagers’ heads explode, their remnants scattered around, also deserves a place on this list. The ad was created for WA’s foundation Learn for Life by short filmmakers Henry Inglis and Aaron McCann.
The spot was released in January this year and at the time Inglis told B&T the aim was to make people laugh at the ridiculousness of it.
“It also parodies overdramatic PSA’s that make authoritarian over-the-top statements. ‘This is what happens when you slack off’ is a ridiculous statement that isn’t intended to be taken seriously,” he said.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau BrandScience BWM Group Melbourne call conversion Exit Films Kmart real timeLatest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.