Don't Get Replaced by a Mannequin for the Night, Says This Alcohol Awareness Ad

New Zealand's Health Promotion Agency (HPA) appeals to young people's FOMO in a new spot that imagines the protagonist replaced by a mannequin for the night when he gets drunk.

In the ad, by FCB New Zealand, the guy is dragged away by two removal guys in overalls to the "Department of Lost Nights," a weird, pink-curtained basement corridor, overseen by a fierce lady who sits shredding "memories." Meanwhile, mannequin-him is the one on a date, dancing in a club, sitting round a campfire and (presumably as the night goes on) meeting weird goat-men. All the memories are consigned to the Deparmtent of Lost Nights and the film ends as he wakes up in bed with a hangover. Daniel Warwick at Scoundrel was the director on the spot.

According to the agency, since the target audience of 18-24-year-olds are more motivated by the fear of missing out on social experiences than the benefits of sensible drinking, there's a strong theme of "FOMO" throughout the film.

"Our audience is a smart and savvy bunch. They see through marketing in a flash, so you can't be dull or, even worse, finger-waggy. The upside of that challenge is that creativity really comes to the fore. Hence the birth of this twisted, surreal, crazy, WTF world, that is the Department of Lost Nights," says Tony Clewett, FCB NZ executive creative director, in a statement.