Drink Cart Friday Shot: Spooky. Scary. Shots.
A Friday newsletter best enjoyed with fake moustaches and a Screwdriver.
Dear shot-loving agency meat sacks, Halloween truthers and the real ones who are looking for Lee Ho Fook’s.
We are now one week out from Halloween. This week we’ve been digging through the ad archives and found some campaigns that make you wonder—was it always this weird, or did lead paint do something to the creative directors back then?
Speaking of things that shouldn’t work but absolutely do, let’s talk about the Orange Crush Shot. We’re talking about taking a Screwdriver, shrinking it down and turning it into the perfect excuse to say “it’s basically breakfast” at 11 PM on a Friday night. OR 3 PM in the Agency kitchen. Here’s your Halloween party move:
The Orange Crush:
1/3 oz vodka
1/3 oz triple sec
1/3 oz orange juice
shake with ice, strain into a shot glass. Repeat.
1. Ad History: Pocari Sweet (1986)
This Japanese commercial for Pocari Sweat staring Cindy Crawford is this week’s must watch ad.
Let me get this straight? It’s some sort of Dune-inspired fever dream from French artist Moebius and designed by Kow Yokoyama. How do you even explain the 80s to people?
2. Ad History: Tip Top Chevrolet (1994)
In the early 1990s Tip Top Chevrolet dealership of Fairbanks, Alaska made the most incredible Super Mario-themed commercial.
The Dealership made dozens of parody commercials in the 90s. Usually of the latest film. Like Robin Hood. It’s like watching Tiktok skits before Tiktok.
3. The Taittinger Champagne Bath
Imagine this creative pitch for Taittinger.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gentlemen. What’s champagne?
CLIENT #1: It’s... a celebration?
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wrong. It’s permission.
He lights a cigarette, stands.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Every man wants to spoil a woman. But he’s terrified. What if she thinks he’s trying too hard? What if he looks like the one who needs impressing?
We sell... absolution. “It’s not YOUR Taittinger.” It’s hers. You’re off the hook. You’re just the vessel for her indulgence.
We show a tuxedo. Gold shimmer. And the line: “If you think she’s being a trifle extravagant, keep it to yourself.”
CLIENT #2: Is this... an ad or a threat?
CLIENT #1(in a tub that appeared out of nowhere): I don’t know but I’m buying six cases.
CLIENT #3 (sobbing): My wife left me this morning and somehow this fixes it.
The Creative Director has already left. A cloud of cigarette smoke remains.
4. Smirnoff Goes Wierd.
CLIENT: We want warmth.
AGENCY: Here’s a creepy serial killer mask, a woman with a felony Octoberfest moustache and someone’s drunk uncle suggesting boozy brunch after hours. They green lit it in the room. Happy Halloween.
5. Cointreau Eggnoging
I do love the flippant playfulness of having Aubrey Plaza as your spokesperson. Although here’s where research can be a buzzkill as the key insight, “backed by new research from Cointreau that reveals more than 90% of consumers would rather sip a Margarita than Eggnog at holiday gatherings.”
And with that. Let’s let Warren Zevon cook us a big dish of beef chow mein.
Thanks for reading. And drinking. See you next week.
Jackson.
The Drink Cart Friday Shot is your late Friday pick-me-up for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A fast pour of ad insights and hot takes, served like a quick round at your favourite dive bar after a week of client feedback.