In Pure Spirit

For open minds

Ghost Train ad banned for being too scary

by Leave a Comment

Thorpe Park have a new attraction arriving next year. It’s Derren Brown’s Ghost Train.

An advert for the new ride was due to be aired on TV on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, before the watershed, but regulators Clearcast have now said it is too scary.

A spokesperson for Thorpe Park told press;

Plans to air our new promo for Derren Brown’s Ghost Train on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been changed due to advice that it may not be appropriate for audiences during this period.

The catch? The video is (currently) live on Facebook.

In Pure Spirit

Did it get you?

Too scary for TV or is this whole thing a wonderful piece of marketing for Thorpe Park and their new attraction?

Source: The Drum.

Starts off silly but there’s a horrible twist in this Doritos ad

by Leave a Comment

Did you watch the video? Maybe you took a look at the thumbnail and figured this was an ad for Doritos. It’s not. It really isn’t.

This is an ad that urges people to persuade Doritos and PepsiCo, the company that owns the brand, to help protecet the rainforest and orangutans.

The problem is palm oil. It’s possible to get palm oil ethically and you can see examples of companies who do so over at Ethical Consumer but most companies don’t. PepsiCo buys 427,500 tonnes of palm oil ever year. Demand is on the increase. It’s expected to double by 2030 and to keep growing. It’s worth noting that Pepsico try pretty hard to source their palm oil ethically.

Palm oil harvesting doesn’t just kill rainforests it kills endangered animals like orangutans who live in the environment.

Palm oil has different names. Don’t be fooled

  • Palm oil can be called Palm oil kernel
  • Palm oil is sometimes called “Palmitate” or “Palmate”
  • Palm oil is also known as Elaeis gunieensis
  • Palm oil can be labelled as Hydrated Palm Gylcerides Hexadecanoic
  • Palm oil can be described as Palmitic Acid

In Pure Spirit

Are you worried about palm oil being used in any of the products you love?

Do you think videos like this are helpful? Or is simply collecting names online a worthless activity? Since Pepsico makes some effort to ethically source palm oil would SumOfUs not be better picking a different target?

If you’d like to learn more then pop over to the Sum Of Us campaign page.

This TV ad for tires will give you a fright!

by Leave a Comment

Ready for a fright? Sit back, hold on tight and watch… this Japanese ad for tires.

Whether it’s car insurance, sites that compare car insurance, broken windscreens, tire repair or the dreaded M.O.T. this is big business in the UK and across the world. That’s why you get so many annoying TV ads. They don’t mind that they’re annoying you. They just demand that you remember them.

In Pure Spirit

Will you remember this ad from Autoway? What did you think? Good or too spooky?

Chipotle’s spookily good The Scarecow animation

by Leave a Comment

I think of Chipotle has a Mexican sauce made from smoked chilli. However, it’s a big resturant chain in the States and there Chipotle sells burritos. They must be confident of their green creds because they’re really on the attack against mass produced foods in this wonderful animation called The Scarecrow.

There’s a game that goes with the film. You can download it from Apple’s App Store. No sign of an Android alternative.

The Scarecrow was made for Chipotle by the award winning Moonbot Studios. The song in it as a remake of “Pure Imagination” which comes from the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The singer? The legendary Fiona Apple.

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of this film? Is this exactly the right sort of message Chipotle should be sending and isn’t his a great way to engage with people? Or do you disagree? Is this just greenwashing. Does Chipotle have a lot to improve in their own company before they start preaching to others?

When there’s really a ghost in the mirror

by Leave a Comment

Warning – this video, though ideal for you, has some strong lanugage in it. That’s what you get when you give someone the scare of their lives.

This is a promotion for the Last Exorcism Part II. Yup! A movie!

In Pure Spirit

What did you make of the prank? A good one?

Are you more or less likely to watch the movie now?

The singing pet shop

by Leave a Comment

Once and a while an advert it worth a watch. This ad for Trident Fresh chewing gum is one of those. It features the sort of pet shop that might well be magical. The animals in this mysterious shop are certainly special. Perhaps this is the sort of mystical portal you can find by exploring the lesser used allies of any big city?

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Any good as an advert or just a fun distraction?

Forget photobombing; worry about #ghostbombing

by Leave a Comment

Photobombing is the art of popping up in the background of someone else’s photograph. It takes skill and style to do it well – but even some celebrities do it, or have it happen to them.

Now, according to a spoof report from one of HTC’s ad agencies; ghosts do it too. Will the HTC One X be added to the list of paranormal investigator equipment?

In Pure Spirit

Do you like the ad? What do you make of the ghostbombing concept?

Hey! You! Follow the Frog

by Leave a Comment

This is a charming public service announcement from the Rainforest Alliance. It helps you make some life decisions by ruling out some bad choices you might be tempted to make.

I also think the YouTube funding widget is pretty cool as part of the video.

In Pure Spirit

Did you like the ad? Think it works to get the message across?

Sponsored Video: Technology and Pheromones

by Leave a Comment

Relationships are always complex – more complex than the most sophisticated computer network or program. In fact, a single brain is a more intricate than the world’s most powerful super-computer due to the billions synapses and neurons.

That’s why men and women react to a far wider range of stimuli than computers and do so more quickly and less predictably. For example, people have the concept of a good scent and computers don’t.

However, it makes sense to speculate that computers will continue to help us with relationships, help us to understand one another and help to empower us to make the right decisions.

The Lynx spray app ad illustrates exactly the potential.

In Pure Spirit

Do you have any app loving friends who you think appreciate the app? Today is a good day to send them the video.

I particularly like the fact that the Lynx video features vinyl. It adds a retro layer to the scenery in what might have otherwise been a situation out of scope the less tech savvy viewer. Music, of course, is a clever choice because just like scent it speaks strongly of individual taste.

Why not share your throughts on the Lynx spray app in the comments below or track the discussion on Twitter.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored prank.

Banned Ad: Red Bull and Jesus

by Leave a Comment

This advert was intended for Brazil. You’ll probably be familiar with the art style and recognise it as an advert for Red Bull. You’d be spot on – it’s a Red Bull ad.

The video is going viral today because it has (apparently) been banned by Brazilian regulators who found it offensive. At the time of posting it has nearly as many dislikes as likes on YouTube.

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of the video? Would you ban it?

Disclosure

This blog discusses ideas and causes. Urban myth, science and faith combine here. So do editorials and technology; In Pure Spirit uses affiliate marketing and some links might earn us money. You can read more about that here.

Policies

Member of The Internet Defence League