Extra-Fun Extraterrestrial Commercials
UFO sightings have been reported globally throughout recorded history from as early as 1801. This has raised questions about intelligent life on other planets and whether extraterrestrials have visited Earth. For many people, laymen and professional astronomers, this continues to be a speculative subject of avid interest.
A highly lucrative new science fiction genre developed of novels, movies and television series about intelligent alien lifeforms that inevitably became a fun-filled extraterrestrial advertising theme of inventive stories and entertaining parodies.
1. Budget Direct Insurers, Solved
Advertising Agency: 303 MullenLowe, Sydney, Australia
Film Director: Daniel Kleinman
Budget Direct Insurer’s epic, tongue-in-cheek, thriller series campaign, involves Detectives Sarge and Jacs investigating the mystery of why people continue paying more for automotive insurance than they should.
This extraordinary public mind-set, as the duo’s investigations reveal, is evidently linked to wide-scale extraterrestrial manipulation and intimidation.
2. Budget Direct Insurers, Extraterrestrial
Advertising Agency: 303 MullenLowe, Sydney, Australia
Film Director: Daniel Kleinman
In the ‘Extra-Terrestrial’ commercial, detectives Sarge and Jacs find themselves trying to protect the city’s central district from an attack by an alien force.
In spite of the unfolding mayhem, their attention is drawn to a newsstand and a much more attention-grabbing event, of Money Magazine declaring Budget Direct, ‘Insurer of the Year’ for the third time.
3. Budget Direct Insurers, Cocoon
Advertising Agency: 303 MullenLowe, Sydney, Australia
Film Director: Daniel Kleinman
Detectives Sarge and Jacs’ investigations lead them to a house where they encounter a surreal scene. It looks like a giant spider has spun a thick web throughout the interior and encased house owners Matthew and Jane, in large cocoons.
Obviously they have been ‘caught up’ paying far too much for Home and Car Insurance over many years, and Sarge and Jacs want to know why they allowed themselves to be caught up in this sticky predicament they find themselves in.
4. Budget Direct Insurers, UFO
Advertising Agency: 303 MullenLowe, Sydney, Australia
Film Director: Daniel Kleinman
Detectives Sarge and Jacs are alerted to a close encounter of the third kind. They arrive at the scene to find that the roof of a car has been ripped off by a huge, hovering spaceship, and the driver is suspended in its powerful extractor beam.
Unfazed by the extraordinary encounter, and unconcerned about the driver’s fate, the only question Sarge and Jacs have before the driver is drawn up into the extraterrestrial craft’s belly is; why do people pay too much for insurance?
5. Xfinity Comcast Cable, A Holiday Reunion
Advertising Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Directed by Lance Accord, the charming Xfinity short-story film, features the iconic and beloved extraterrestrial E.T. on a surprise visit to his friend Elliott for the holidays.
Their joyous reunion after 37 years sees Eliot introducing E.T. to his family who help him catch up with new developments that happened during his long absence, such as the Internet, and virtual reality headsets.
6. Foot Locker Stores, No Matter What
Advertising Agency: BBDO, New York, USA
Visual Effects: Blacksmith Studio, New York, USA
The Foot Locker Company’s 8th and latest annual ‘Week of Greatness’ promotional campaign kicked of with a commercial directed by Markus Walter.
The filmic epic about aliens invading the world depicts people scrambling amidst the mayhem to get the latest offerings of their favourite sports-shoe brands ‘no matter what’ confronts them.
The unfolding apocalypse unleashes hordes of marauding zombies and meteor storms, but undeterred, the ‘sneakerheads’ continue their pursuit of Jordan, Adidas, Puma, Converse, Super Heroic, Nike Champion and other sought after brands by sneaker fans of all ages.
The amusing over-the-top scenario features appearances by some notable sports-shoe enthusiasts that include NBA stars Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma and soccer star Alex Morgan.
7. Hyundai Santa Fe, Conquer The Extraterrestrial
Advertising Agency: Innocean Worldwide, India
Directed by Juan Jaramillo, this commercial has a surprising and rewarding conclusion for viewers.
This amusing, and inventively filmic scenario, is centered on dramatising the redefined performance features of the Santa Fe, and its impressive engine power which is claimed to be the highest in the crossover SUV segment.
8. Volkswagen Tiguan, The Alien
Advertising Agency: Adam & Eve/BBDO, London, UK
Directed by Nick Gordon, this dramatic parody of Hollywood’s alien movie genre, is an amusing demonstration of the Tiguan’s hands-free trunk opening capability.
The filmic story entertainingly reveals why the smart technology feature would cause no end of frustration for Hollywood film directors as endorsed by the mischievous tagline; “Not made for Hollywood. Happy to support Independent Cinemas.”
The repetitive ‘independent’ trunk openings serve as a visual metaphor for the Independent Cinemas operating in the UK, and makes for memorable viewing.
9. Jif Peanut Butter, Apocalypse
Advertising Agency: Publicis, New York, USA
Directed by Wayne McClammy, this very filmic, hyperbolic scenario depicts a chaotic landscape of hovering alien death ships laying waste to urban neighbourhoods and surrounding countryside’s.
A young girl is seen desperately sprinting though the debris of apocalyptic destruction towards the safety of a bunker. What she discovers inside provides an amusing twist to the dramatic sci-fi story that is highly watchable.
10. Levi’s 501, True Love
Film Production Company: AboveGrey Pictures, San Francisco, USA
Multi award-winning screen artist and writer Ezra J. Stanley, and cinematographer Alejandro Wilkins, wrote and directed this classic Levi’s 501 commercial.
The many advertising industry accolades the commercial received included a ‘Best Commercial Award’ from the Burbank International Film Festival.