These bizarre vacuum ads mash up high fashion and absurd humor

We can't recall seeing many ads for vacuum cleaners before—and certainly none that entertained us or made us laugh. But that's what Karcher has achieved in a new set of social media ads that promise, with a straight face, to "bring back the wow" into vacuuming. German agency Antoni created the new spots for the brand, which conveys some very basic facts about its VC vacuum cleaners—they have two buttons and, they can suck dirt up in a straight line. But they do so with an unexpected combination of deadpan humor and high fashion. In one, two stylishly dressed models solemnly demonstrate the two buttons, normal and boost. In another, a woman sits posing on a bed and a man emerges from the closet, demonstrating how "it can vacuum in the dark. Mind. Blown." There are also demos of how it can vacuum in a straight line (who knew?) or upside down. All end with the message "It's a vacuum cleaner, guys. But it brings back the wow every time." The ads, directed by Rubin Riermeier, are rolling out in 60 markets. Alex Petrarche, creative director of copy at Antoni said a bit of joking inspired the campaign concept. "When another vacuum cleaner brief came across our desks, my colleague Kirsten and I asked ourselves, 'How can we have fun with this?" he recalled. "And to poke fun at the fact that we were staring at a vacuum cleaner briefing, we ironically mentioned, 'Wow, it's got two buttons.' What started as a laugh ended up being one of our claims." Melanie Baierschmitt, Karcher Group Head of International Marketing Projects Home & Garden, added, "We have realized a special, attention-grabbing idea, the likes of which have not been seen before in our 'genre,' and which precisely targets the different product target groups and their mindsets."

These bizarre vacuum ads mash up high fashion and absurd humor

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