(As if unskippable video ads were not scary enough)
In keeping with the season and our aversion to traditional advertising tech, we have collected several advertisements that have been produced over the years, many of which were NOT skippable. Imagine sitting at home watching TV with your family and one of these came on the screen. You couldn’t skip it, remote controls didn’t appear until the mid 80’s so one of the kids had to be forced to run TOWARD the TV to turn the channel…ah the good ole days.
Baby Laugh A Lot (1971)
Here’s one toy you don’t want to step on at night. In 30 seconds, it goes from creepy doll to Uncle Louie the narrator quickly becoming a complete lunatic. No, this wasn’t a Halloween special; it was during cartoons! Imagine the parenting that could be done with it; “If you don’t be nice, I’ll make you play with…Baby Laugh a Lot!”
Eating Little Babies Ice Cream (2012)
So, the point is that you are trying to make consumers WANT to buy the ice cream?! Did this actually create more sales, but only during Halloween? It does seem, however, very 2020.
WSIB — Top Chef (2007, Canada)
Ow, Canada. This is certainly a form of Canadian Hells Kitchen PSA. It certainly tops the “Sucks to be you” category. Perhaps she should have watched this commercial before going to work.
Autoway Tire Ghost (2013)
When you need to put a warning at the beginning of the commercial that the next 30 seconds are terrifying, how does this make consumers want to buy the product? This is a perfect example of letting creative directors going wild… or maybe it was the ice cream one. We’re not sure how their revenue increased after this.
Dirt Devil: Exorcist (2011)
Can we say it?
This commercial sucks, and yet it’s hilarious! This commercial packs everything you love about a horror movie — jump scares, creepy priests, demons, and even a harmless old lady wielding a vacuum cleaner.
Snickers Halloween (2010)
Cute and creepy! A perfect combination for the season. Load up with Snickers!
McDonald’s Unignorable Banners (2015)
We’ll admit, we wish we thought of this one. Not only does this ad break the third wall, but it also makes use of an ad format that we like (when it’s not combined with an unskippable mid-roll ad).
Happy Halloween from CatapultX
Did we miss any scary ads that you know and love? Let us know!
We think that the scariest ads are the ones that creep up on you after you so much as mention out loud that you’re looking into buying something. They’re the ones you can’t avoid, can’t skip, and wonder how they even found you — how they chose you. They’re watching you and tracking you — coming to you in the dead of night when you’re watching who-knows-what on YouTube at 3 AM. Learn how CatapultX is looking to change the way video ads work — for a scare-proof, more relatable ad experience that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling instead of screaming, murder feeling.
Founded in 2019, CatapultX is an AI-based platform at the forefront of innovative video marketing. Serving contextually relevant video ads that don’t interfere with consumer experience, CatapultX brings a profitable, engaging and enjoyable experience to publishers, advertisers and audiences. If you are interested in expanding the profitability of your content or building a more robust advertising portfolio, reach out to us at info@catapultx.com or set up a meeting with someone from our sales team.
