Best Ads of the Week: Magnum’s anti-copycat ad & Elf’s true crime mockumentary

This week, Pepsi embraced millennials’ wild sides, Ikea spoofed fans with a fake brand and Elf Cosmetics released a 15-minute mockumentary.

Ikea: Eureka Spiritsis by Mother

Have you heard of Eureka Spiritsis? The brand boasts a 25-year guarantee, quality workmanship and seamless functionality, all topped off with deluxe style. But there’s a catch. The brand name is actually an anagram that, when unscrambled, reveals the true identity. Surprise, it’s Ikea.

Created by ad agency Mother, the campaign was teased at the top of the year and is now live across video-on-demand, TikTok, press, social media, in-store and online. The spot begins in a dark and mysterious room where a woman in a beautiful dress begins playing the cello under a spotlight. A pompous and enigmatic man then walks into frame and the camera starts to follow him as his hand gently glides over a luxurious kitchen counter. Around him, other parts of the luxe kitchen appear as if by magic while he waxes lyrical about the spoof brand.

Pepsi: Get Wild by VaynerMedia

Pepsi is encouraging fans to get wild in a two-spot campaign promoting its Pepsi Wild Cherry soda. The initiative, which consists of two 30-second spots, arrives just in time for NFL Wild Card Weekend, the start of the league’s highly-anticipated postseason.

The campaign focuses on an all-too-common experience: embracing the challenges of adulthood without fully letting go of a sense of playful youthfulness. The campaign was developed from a key consumer insight: the discovery that millennials – and female millennials in particular – are driving the growth of the flavored cola category. The most popular flavor in the US? Cherry, of course.

Netflix: Who’s Watching? by David Madrid

We’ve all been there, opening Netflix, not quite sure what we want to put on, and being faced with that familiar question on the profile screen: ‘Who’s watching?’ It’s a seemingly simple query that becomes a little bit too existential in a new ad for the brand. In the spot, viewers are introduced to a woman called Norma, who is grappling with her identity. What ensues is a multitude of different personalities, each reminiscent of shows she watches, such as Emily in Paris and Stranger Things.

Fans of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series will recognize aspects of the Joan is Awful episode that starred Salma Hayek and Annie Murphy. It’s a creepy but fun take on the notion of binge-watching your favorite TV shows and is the work of ad agency David Madrid. The team enlisted revered Argentinian creative Juan Cabral to direct the spot. His previous work includes Cadbury’s ‘Gorilla’ and Sony’s ‘Balls,’ which have gained worldwide acclaim.

Magnum: The Fraud by Lola MullenLowe

Magnum has released a new spot that highlights that, when it comes to its ice-cream, copycat products just don’t taste the same. Over the years, the brand has noticed consumers purchasing dupes, which provided an opportunity to showcase why ‘Like a Magnum’ is not a Magnum.

In the ad, a woman discovers that her partner has been buying fake Magnums over the years and begins to ask, if he can lie about that, then what else is he capable of? She soon finds out that many things she once took at face value are, indeed, a sham. Created by ad agency Lola MullenLowe, the campaign will run in the UK across TV, out-of-home, print, point of sale and digital.

Foodora: It’s Gonna Leave a Mark by Gut Amsterdam

European food delivery brand Foodora has enlisted actor Lola Paja to feature in its latest ad, which sees the actor in an oh-so-familiar moment, face pressed against a window, hungrily anticipating a takeaway to arrive.

Titled ‘It’s Gonna Leave a Mark,’ the spot is the latest from Gut Amsterdam and continues its playful vision. The campaign will run across TV, digital, out-of-home and social media from this week until the end of February throughout Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden.

Scotiabank: You’re Richer Than You Think by Rethink

This is the latest from the ‘You’re Richer Than You Think’ brand platform that made its debut for the bank back in 2006. Canada’s Scotiabank and its agency of record, Rethink, have released a 60-second ad that aims to give people a more hopeful perspective on their financial potential.

The short film follows a range of characters who are each connected by a feeling of wanting something another person has, be it a car, fancy food or a first-class plane ride. Ultimately, the ad comes full circle to remind the viewer that “there’s more to life than more.“ Throughout the year, the ad will be shown in cinemas in Canada, online and on TV.

Budget Direct: Loch-Mess Monster by 303 MullenLowe

After being hit by a bolt of lightning, a pool cleaning robot dramatically comes to life and torments an unsuspecting family in this spot selling insurance. Dubbed the ‘Loch-Mess Monster,’ the device rises from the watery depths as it tries to get into the family home, where objects are flying uncontrollably around the room in a very Stranger Things style.

This ad is the second in the brand’s latest series. Back in September, it launched ‘Rise of the Machines,’ which starred malicious e-bikes and e-scooters turning on an unsuspecting motorist.

The Current Account Switch Service: Fish Whisperer by House 337

A pet owner realizes he may have chosen the wrong animal when he tries to teach a goldfish called Spike to ‘roll’ and ‘play dead.’ The ad, by House 337, addresses the fact that many people avoid financial admin and push it out of their minds by employing the funny analogy to get people thinking about whether they have the right bank account and, if they don’t, showing them how easy it is to switch.

The ad agency also enlisted illustrator Sam Gilbey to create murals featuring the fish in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow as part of the campaign.

Australian Lamb: The Generational Gap by The Monkeys

The eagerly anticipated annual Australian Lamb ad aired on Sunday and it is truly bonkers. Every January, the lamb industry promotional body marks one of the biggest days for lamb consumption in the country, the national Australia Day holiday of January 26.

This year’s spot, titled ‘The Generational Gap,’ brings together boomers, zoomers, millennials and Gen Z to air their differences. Opening in Boomertown, where the older generation lives in idyllic homes that are seemingly given out for free, the action then heads to Gen Z town where the inhabitants are consumed by their electronic devices. Another shot sees millennials rock climbing and discussing whether they are still cool. Last up is Gen X, who believe they are the ones always forgotten about. In a twist, what brings the groups closer and closes the generational gap is lamb on the barbie. The delicious aroma invites people from all the different age groups to put their grievances aside and try to understand each other.

Elf Cosmetics: Cosmetic Criminals

Popular cosmetics label Elf Cosmetics released an intense 15-minute true crime-style mockumentary, Cosmetic Criminals, which traces the suspenseful story of a makeup thief – and a house full of suspects, each with their own potential motives.

The parody film stars actor and comedian Niecy Nash Betts, Veep actor Nelson Franklin and Broadway actor and NCIS star Necar Zadegan. It was directed by Oscar-nominated Russian Doll director Alex Buono. The brand developed the film in response to an all-too-common customer insight: the tendency for Elf products to go ‘missing’ under mysterious circumstances around friends and family.

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