Texas confectionary Atomic Candy is getting into the Halloween spirit with a creepy new commercial that capitalizes on the current wave of clown mass hysteria.
The spot, from Innocean USA, features a bozo with a baseball bat terrifying an animated piñata into producing candy—sadly, in a fashion that's sure to put viewers off Snickers bars for good. (Lest it need be repeated, scat humor and edibles really don't mix all that well.)
But if Halloween is scary, it won't be the scariest day of this year—that will be Election Day, warn some new print ads from the same agency/client team.
The brick-and-mortar sweets shop, located in the city of Denton, is playing on the extraordinary unpopularity of both major party candidates in the 2016 presidential race. The print work imagines Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as creepy, glowing monsters, with brightly colored goo dripping from their mouths, in pictures that—depending who you ask—might not seem so far from reality at all.
The striking illustration style is an extension of similar, more photorealistic portraits from the candy store's 2015 campaign. The tagline is simple and effective.
Meanwhile, an older spot from the brand is, for its part, similarly disgusting, if more evocative of weirdo Skittles work of yore.
Atomic Candy is smartly avoiding taking sides in the political debate. But it's safe to say the worst possible outcome would be a clown occupying the White House, and it's pretty clear which candidate more closely resembles a two-bit circus entertainer.
CREDITS
Client: Atomic Candy, Dallas TX
Advertising Agency: Innocean
Print: Trump + Hillary
Chief Creative Officer: Eric Springer
Creative Director / Art Director: Kiran Koshy
Sr. Copywriter: Jason Arentsen
Art director: Stan Chow
Copywriter: Brandon Poole
Illustrator: Robert Ikemoto
Video: The Shed
Chief Creative Officer: Eric Springer
Creative Director / Art Director: Kiran Koshy
Copywriter: Jeff Hodgson
Director: Kiran Koshy
Director of Photography / Finish: Mike Jensen
Camera Assist: Landon Brands
Color: Mike Pethel / Beach House Color
Editor: Adam Henderson / PostOp
Sound Design: Michael Anastasi / Barking Owl Sound
Music: Dustin Ballard
The Clown: Dustin Ballard
Makeup: Krystle Starr
Props / Art: Justin McCormick