THE FREAKIEST AD OF 2008: Saatchi's comic, gory spot for 'Evil Dead the Musical'

In the end, it wasn't even close. This gory/comic spot for Evil Dead the Musical, by Saatchi & Saatchi in Toronto, has bloodily sauntered off with the title of AdFreak's Freakiest Ad of 2008, after collecting 49 percent of the vote in the four-way final. Converse's KissingWithRoss.com came in second, with 22 percent. The Dutch Socialist Party and Doritos rounded out the top four, with 18 percent and 11 percent, respectively. The Evil Dead spot is a worthy successor to the Dexter viral that won our contest last year. So, congrats to Saatchi. To see all of this year's 32 freaky finalists, click here.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Saatchi & Saatchi, Year in Review

THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, FINAL 4

Thirty-two ads, one dream: to be named AdFreak's Freakiest Ad of 2008. After four votes last week, we've narrowed the field to the Final Four contenders, posted below: Evil Dead the Musical, Doritos, Converse and the Dutch Socialist Party. Vote at the bottom of this post for the freakiest of the four. We'll declare a winner on Wednesday afternoon.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Evil Dead the Musical | "Marquee"

This promo encouraged viewers to attend the musical, but maybe not linger beneath the marquee. [Read more]

Doritos | "Tongue"

A wayward spicy tongue ruined a young couple's date in this Doritos commercial. [Read more]

Converse | KissingWithRoss.com

Ross taught many a lonely Web surfer how to kiss, with gusto, on his very own Converse-branded Web site. [Read more]

Dutch Socialist Party | "Connie" (NSFW)

What's that? You want to see a nude 86-year-old woman criticizing Holland's homecare policy? OK, you got it. (Spot is NSFW.) [Read more]

Published on December 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Year in Review

THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #4

Our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest continues today with the last spot in the Final Four up for grabs. Check out the eight ads below, and vote for the freakiest one at the bottom of the post. The top vote-getter joins the Evil Dead headless dude, the Doritos spicy tongue and Ross the lippy Converse kisser in the Final Four. See all 32 finalists here, in alphabetical order.
  UPDATE: OK, we're closing down the vote on this one, too. And the Dutch Socialist Party's naked 86-year-old woman—a real Cinderella story, we feel—has secured her trip to next week's Final Four.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Canex | "Yorkie"

This gross print campaign made you wonder if you're actually feeding your dog—or the worms inside him. [Read more]

Old Spice | "Centaur"

The too-often-marginalized man-horse hybrid got a chance to shine in this Old Spice spot. [Read more]

Dutch Socialist Party | "Connie"

What's that? You want to see a nude 86-year-old woman criticizing Holland's homecare policy? OK, you got it. [Read more]

Danish Cancer Society | "Bear Trap"

A trip to the tanning booth did not end well for this young woman. [Read more]

Barbecues Galore | "Chicken"

What can you say to your chicken dinner when he asks you to hook him up with a girl just as you're marinating him? [Read more]

Burger King | "Morning Tongue"

After dreaming of hash browns filled with cheese, the hero of this BK spot woke up with a nasty case of "morning tongue." [Read more]

Jack in the Box | "Make a Jack Sandwich"

This Web site urged you to upload photos of yourself and a special friend, so all three of you could sleaze out in the hot tub. [Read more]

Jokk | "The Trap"

Hunting for berries to make Sweden's Jokk juices is extremely dangerous, but worth it. [Read more]

Published on December 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Year in Review

THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #3

Two of the Final Four slots are set in our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest: the Evil Head headless dude and the Doritos spicy tongue. The competition continues now with this third group of ads. Vote for the freakiest of the eight ads at the bottom of the post. The top vote-getter gets a Final Four place. See all 32 finalists here, in alphabetical order.
  UPDATE: This vote is now closed, and we have our third Final Four contestant: Converse's expert kisser, Ross. Extended Stay Motels and the ALS Society of Canada put up a valiant fight.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Donate Life California | "Maggot"

When you die, this non-profit suggested, donate your organs to your fellow humans, not to insect larvae. [Read more]

ALS Society of Canada | "Head & Shoulders"

This gut-wrenching PSA used a children's song to depict the ravages of ALS. [Read more]

Extended Stay Motels | "Lick"

A woman figured that licking everything in sight was the best way to check a room's cleanliness in this spot for the motel chain. [Read more]

Kincho | "Android"

The Japanese company turned to a creepy, fake-smiling fembot to promote its sunscreen. [Read more]

Converse | KissingWithRoss.com

Ross taught many a lonely Web surfer how to kiss, with gusto, on his very own Converse-branded Web site. [Read more]

Amnesty International | "The Stuff of Life"

Another disturbing PSA: this one from Amnesty, depicting the waterboarding torture technique. [Read more]

Colombian Association of Arterial Hypertension | "Home"

The rotting undead, doomed by high cholesterol, livened up this Colombian health campaign. [Read more]

X-travel | "Boeing 737"

This unnerving viral for a Dutch travel agency showed an airplane crash-landing into the Mediterranean. [Read more]

Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Year in Review

THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #2

Our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest continues with this second group of ads. Vote for the freakiest of these eight masterpieces at the bottom of this post. The top vote-getter goes to the Final Four.
  See all 32 finalists here, in alphabetical order.
  The results of the first group are here.
  UPDATE: Voting is now closed for this group, and the Doritos spicy-tongue commercial emerges victorious, despite a valiant and bloody challenge from the New Zealander on his deathbed.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Treximet | "Heads Off"

Women with migraines literally lost their heads in this OTC pharmaceutical spot. [Read more]

McDonald's | "Nose"

This nightmarish Swedish commercial for McDonald's coffee might keep you up at night. [Read more]

Steimatzky Bookstore | "Shrunken Head"

This ad for an Israeli bookstore ridiculed non-readers for their shrunken, intellectually impoverished heads. [Read more]

Lotus | "Faceless People"

The automaker Lotus decried the loss of individuality with ads (and street marketing) starring faceless people. [Read more]

Skittles | "Piñata"

A human piñata recovered from a beating at the hands of a Skittles-seeking colleague in this off-kilter spot. [Read more]

Mebucaïne | "Throats"

Misplaced mouths cried for help in this campaign for a Novartis throat lozenge. [Read more]

Doritos | "Tongue"

A wayward spicy tongue ruined a young couple's date in this Doritos commercial. [Read more]

Land Transport NZ | "Bed"

New Zealand tackled the issue of drivers falling asleep at the wheel with all the subtlety of a splattered skull. [Read more]

Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Year in Review

THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #1

We've posted our 2008 Year in Review. Now, it's time for our other annual tradition: voting to select the single Freakiest Ad of 2008.
  Here are the 32 finalists, in alphabetical order.
  We've randomly divided that list into four groups of eight. The top vote-getter in each group will advance to the Final Four.
  Below is the first group. Vote at the bottom for the freakiest.
  (Also, you can see the 2007 results here.)
  UPDATE: Voting is now closed for this group. The Evil Dead the Musical commercial dominated, winning 72 percent of the vote. The Dunkelviffer spot got about 16 percent. None of the other ads did well at all.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Evil Dead the Musical | "Marquee"

This promo encouraged viewers to attend the musical, but maybe not linger beneath the marquee. [Read more]

Dunkelziffer | "Tentacle"

This ultra-creepy German ad depicted the lingering trauma of sexual abuse. [Read more]

American Asthma Foundation | "Park"

This PSA conveyed the experience of an asthma attack on a shockingly visceral level. [Read more]

Southwest Airlines | "The Other Side"

This spot characterized the employees at rival airlines as two-faced freak-show monsters. [Read more]

GotVMail | "Business Ideas by Gary Busey"

The very insane Gary Busey offered manic, nonsensical business tips in this collection of 40 spots. [Read more]

Aware Helpline | "Just as Horrific"

These anatomically jarring PSAs from Singapore made the case that verbal abuse can be just as horrific as physical abuse. [Read more]

Easy Living magazine | "Amy"

The troubled singer stripped down for this British magazine's breast-cancer awareness campaign. [Read more]

TM Advertising | "Jitsu's Secret"

The Texas shop's intra-agency YouTube challenge featured a shocking admission from Masters of the Universe character Jitsu. [Read more]

Published on December 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Freakiest Ads, Freakiest Ads of 2008, Nudd, Year in Review