GHOSTFACE CALLED, THINGS GOT HARD & WE GOT BITTER
Written By: Lexi Rapnikas
Campaign of the Week: Drew Barrymore’s Back. AAAAAHHHHHHH!
Chase is giving Scream a cash-back makeover just in time for Halloween. The campaign brings back one of our favorite scream queens, Drew Barrymore, for a recreation of the iconic 1996 opening scene, only this time, Ghostface (played by Kevin Hart) is calling with good news: she’s earned cash back with Chase Freedom.
What follows is less murder mystery and more shopping spree, as Barrymore and Hart’s Ghostface celebrate the cash-back rewards with a seasonal shopping spree. Created by Droga5, the campaign taps into the upcoming 30th anniversary of Scream and the growing wave of ’90s nostalgia in advertising, giving audiences a fresh twist on a familiar horror classic while connecting the nostalgia to Chase Freedom’s fall shopping benefits. Scream on!!
Kendall Has Entered the Chat. And the Gym. And the Coffee Shop.
Kendall Jenner is quite literally everywhere in Beats by Dre’s new launch campaign for Beats 360, the brand’s first customizable over-ear headphones. Set to Gary Numan’s “Are Friends Electric?,” the ad follows Jenner through her day as she encounters different versions of herself everywhere she goes, from the gym to the coffee shop to the restaurant, each sporting a different Beats 360 color combo.
The playful campaign brings the tagline “One headphone. Every version of you.” to life, highlighting how users can swap out ear cushions to match their mood, look or activity. Created by Uncommon Creative Studio, the campaign leans into Jenner’s ever-changing style while giving Beats a colorful new way to show off its most customizable headphones yet.
Staples Encourages You to Push It’s Buttons!
Staples is giving its iconic Easy Button a chaotic new alter ego with “Hard vs. Easy,” a campaign that pits the familiar red button against a black “Hard Button” that turns everyday workplace problems into hilariously painful mishaps. From running out of restroom supplies to printing a sign that says “Golf Sharts” instead of “Golf Shirts,” the campaign highlights how Staples’ business solutions can make those headaches disappear.
Rolling out across streaming, social, OOH and corporate spaces, the campaign is giving Staples a chance to prove it’s about way more than ink cartridges and printer paper, spotlighting its B2B services, same-day delivery and workplace solutions. And with Staples celebrating 40 years, the brand is keeping the Hard vs. Easy chaos going through the holiday season, because sometimes the best way to show how easy something can be is to first make everything go spectacularly wrong.
The Bitter, The Better
Campari Group is getting bitter, and LOVING it with the latest “Stay Bitter” campaign, just in time for Negroni Week. The hero spot stars Peacock’s infamous Alan Cumming flipping through Bitter magazine before recreating a cheeky 1970s Campari ad and mixing up a Negroni, with a nod to The Traitors and a warning that a Campari-less Negroni is a certified “traitor.”
The social-first campaign brings back the brand’s vintage aesthetic for a nostalgia-loving Gen Z and millennial audience while introducing “The Bitter Nine”, a crew of bold tastemakers spanning food, fashion, music and cocktails. Between throwback creative, creator content and up to $15 back on select Campari Negronis, Campari is proving that bitter is having a very sweet moment.
A SUBconscious Craving Is Calling You Out
Subway is getting inside your head with “Feed Your SUBconscious,” a new brand platform starring Will Arnett as the inner voice telling consumers to skip sad burgers, overpriced smoothies and chalky protein bars in favor of a fresh, filling Subway sandwich. Arnett plays five different versions of consumers navigating everything from drive-thrus to post-workout cravings, bringing his signature humor to the chain’s “Eat Fresh” positioning.
And as if they didn’t get into your head enough, the campaign marks the first work from new creative agency MARTIN* and rolls out across TV, streaming, audio, digital, social and in-store channels, as Subway looks to remind everyone that it’s more than just a place to grab a sub, it’s apparently the voice in your head telling you to feed yourself better.
