Thanks to the country's anti-gay laws, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia have turned into a de facto platform for LGBT marketing. Earlier, we had the Canadian ad that said the two-man luge is "a little gay." Now, we have this crazy spot from Norwegian sports apparel retailer XXL.
It's an over-the-top, absurd blockbuster of an ad, with overly slick visuals, overly cheesy music and a "twist" ending you could spot from Moscow. And yet … somehow you have to love it. Its heart is generally in the right place, even if it plays out like a male fantasy. (And no, they probably wouldn't do the same ad with two men at the end.)
The ad premiered during Norway's broadcast of the Opening Ceremony last week.
CREDITS
Client: XXL
Agency: Schjærven Reklamebyrå
Account Director: Ole Marius Simonsen
Creatives: Jon Erik Skiælder, John Draleke
Agency Producer: Gard Andreassen
Production Company: Camp David, Stockholm
Producer: Kalle Wessblad
Directors: Bjørn Stein, Måns Mårlind
Location: Lleida Airport, Spain
Filming: Dec. 15-18, 2013
Line Producer: Dominic Bolus, Widescope Productions
Postproduction: The Chimney Pot, Stockholm
Music: Tommy Tysper