Brooklyn Film Festival | “Gil’s Grills” by Havas New York
The Brooklyn Film Festival joined the current chorus of smack talk about artificial intelligence, but with a distinctly show-don’t-tell approach and a wonderfully deadpan tone (narrated by actor-comedian Thomas Lennon). In 60-second spots for its annual event, the fest and agency Havas put their ad stars’ very human foibles and emotions on prominent display, illustrating the festival’s tagline, “Stories about life by those who have lived it.” In other words: a non-sentient being could not have created these movies. Outdoor ads captured more truisms from which people-powered creativity springs with slogans like “AI will never live in the shadow of its sibling” and “AI will never contemplate mortality in a small patch of turbulence.” Take that, robots.
Tecovas | “How She Rolls” by Preacher
Western wear and boot maker Tecovas launched its first-ever national ads from new agency of record Preacher, borrowing from a famous Hollywood duo for spots that felt like they were “plucked from a feature film that may or may not have been made by the Coen brothers,” per the creatives. The quirky campaign, dialogue-free and music-driven, aimed to make the niche category more accessible and inclusive in the cowboy chic era. Its unapologetically bold characters and unique settings, chosen for their rough-around-the-edges qualities, told memorable stories in 60 seconds and issued a challenge—”Don’t Go Gently”—to those willing to accept. It’s tough to pick the better of the two spots, but we’ll go with “How She Rolls,” though “Check Em Out” has two-stepping charm to spare.
Regal Cinemas | “Pool” by Quality Meats
Regal Cinema’s goal with its early fall campaign was to keep the box office momentum going from the record-breaking summer of Barbenheimer. The reality, however, was a painful, protracted WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike that disrupted the Hollywood pipeline, delaying new releases and shuffling schedules at the multiplex. The chain, working for the first time with indie agency Quality Meats and director-comedian Andy Richter, took the FOMO approach to try to get butts in seats and reinforce the movie-going habit. Stars in a trio of spots included a projectile-vomiting party-crashing ghost, a statuesque blue alien with a weakness for ice cream and a grizzled action hero with a high pain tolerance. They popped up in everyday scenarios to relay a sense of urgency about buzzworthy flicks, and they were none too pleased to hear anyone say the word “streaming.”
