Call of Duty resurrects Zombies
Video game brand Call of Duty has erected five life(!)-like zombie heads from its latest title Call of Duty: Vanguard to interact with and react to passers-by. The heads, located on London's Brick Lane, are mounted on a wall using grungy, taxidermy-type plaques with the words "Happy hunting" written in "zombie blood". It also sent individual zombie heads in World War Two-style crates to 10 influencers to give them a frightful surprise. Activision partnered its lead creative agency, 72andSunny Los Angeles, to deliver the project.
Airbnb brings Scream home
Airbnb is inviting guests to stay at a Scream-themed house in honour of the eponymous film's 25th anniversary and the upcoming 2022 sequel. In keeping with the original film's 1996 release, the home in north California will be a time capsule of 1990s nostalgia. The building includes knife marks on the doors, a dedicated phone line for guests to reach Ghostface directly and a TV and VHS player on which to watch horror movies.
Baileys serves up cocktail during the witching hour
Baileys has launched a global advertising campaign that follows three witches who come together to make cocktails when their Halloween plans are thwarted by the weather. Featuring three UK drag queens – Tia Kofi, Veronica Green and Asia Thorne – the trio conjures up a Baileys S'Mores Martini Cocktail served with a toasted marshmallow and gold leaf. During the development of the campaign, the team tied up with Diageo's LGBT+ employee group, the Rainbow Network, and INvolve, a global consultancy championing diversity and inclusion in businesses. This was to ensure the final ad and overarching message were an authentic representation of drag, within the context of the LGBT+ community.
No sleep for The Kraken
Rum brand The Kraken is taking over an abandoned London hotel for the "Kraken dread & breakfast", where guests won't be getting much sleep. The night will be filled with prank phone calls, suspicious banging, screams in the hallways and figures from beyond the grave entering rooms unannounced just as guests are falling asleep. Each night a handful of visitors at the hotel bar will be invited to brave the terrifying stay.
Ardbeg takes to the road with 'Ice scream' tour
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Scotch whisky label Ardbeg has deployed a monstrous "Ice scream truck" that will visit London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Paying homage to classic B-movie beasts, the vehicle features horns, tentacles and beady eyes. The ice cream has been created in partnership with the founder of artisanal parlour Ruby Violet and includes "Cookies & scream", comprising Ardbeg Wee Beastie-flavoured ice cream in a charcoal cookie sandwich, coated in (optional) crunchy mealworms. The van will be accompanied by a "Monsters of smoke" cage, where the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy-owned brand will host bookable 45-minute cocktail tastings.
Southern Comfort heads for New Orleans
Southern Comfort is hosting a New Orleans-themed Halloween party created in collaboration with UK party collective Cirque Du Soul. Hosted at Lafayette London in Kings Cross, the venue will undergo a New Orleans-inspired makeover based on the city's neon-lit streets. Guests can expect dancers, performances and Halloween transformations by make-up artists from In Your Dreams.
Hobgoblin brews up glowing murals
Hobgoblin has unveiled glow-in-the-dark murals in London and Manchester. The beer brand positions itself as the "unofficial" beer of Halloween, with the campaign launching under the strapline "best sipped in the dark". To accompany the murals, there is a social challenge running across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Within the challenge, players finds themselves mysteriously transported to an unfamiliar place where they are enticed by mischievous characters to take a different route. Fortunately, all roads lead to the Wychwood brewery to enjoy a welcome pint of Hobgoblin, giving payers the chance to win a year's supply of the brew.