Newsletter
Italy's Fernet Branca Debuts in U.S. With Spooky New Orleans Spirits
Plus Canal+, Fiat and more European standouts
Just in time for Halloween, Madwell created “Summon the Spirit of Fernet-Branca.” The latter is an Italian amaro brand making its stateside début in New Orleans, “America’s most haunted city.” The ad is inspired by The Blair Witch Project, but it’s got a little Eyes Wide Shut in there too, though the secret meetup our protagonists crash is orgy-free. The work will be supported by spooky activations throughout the city, as well as a microsite: summonthespirits.com.
“No Bad Choices,” a silly piece by BETC Paris, promotes the idea that you can’t make a wrong selection on Canal+. It makes use of the classic “red-cable-versus-blue” scenario to raise the stakes early on, before comically revealing that—LOL!— there are no stakes. The work is live in the Netherlands but will unroll in other European markets, too.
About 2,100 families are homeless in Ireland. More than 4,400 of those individuals are children, and a big portion of homeless families–the women and kids, notably—aren’t visible because they’re hidden in poorly-adapted emergency housing. To raise a goal of €1.4 million for these families, artist Sarah Bracken Soper worked with Focus Ireland and agency The Brill Building to create a mural in Dublin. It depicts two women locked in an embrace—poignantly, only one is visible.
Score some “perfect pours at yours” with the Guinness Nitrosurge! In “Dancing Can,” a nod to 1994’s “Dancing Man,” by AMV BBDO, a Nitrosurge does just that: Dance, with help from stop-motion. It’s old-cinema tech meets new-beer tech. Now you can take the bar with you!
We’re closing with dolce vita vibes. In Europe, co-branded cars are a thing. To plug Fiat’s 500e in collaboration with Giorgio Armani, agency 777 gives us “Ovation,” which opens in front of the Armani Hotel Milano. A guy swoops up a pair of keys, then gets into his cute Fiat and drives through an illuminated city to the tune of “Città Vuota” (“Empty City”). They motor on until the street becomes an open-air runway, flanked with elegant people awaiting this big Fiat Finale. In the rear-view, Armani appears to see the man off like a Fashion Week guardian angel.
The ad ends, “Don’t drive it. Wear it.”
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clio. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
