{"id":3981,"date":"2026-02-13T10:59:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T16:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/?p=3981"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:00:00","slug":"the-2026-creepy-awards-take-a-dark-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/the-2026-creepy-awards-take-a-dark-turn\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 Creepy Awards Take a Dark Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Screenshot
Pictured: Not creepy. As for the rest of them\u2026 You\u2019ll thank me later.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I introduced the Creepy Awards<\/a> (a companion piece to our annual Weepy Awards<\/a>) in 2023 as a celebration of the weird-ass stuff many ad agencies crank out every year for the big stage of the Big Game. Because advertisers love going creepy for the Super Bowl, and why not? You want to stand out, and Puppy Monkey Baby<\/a> got the job done in spades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the creepiness this year just feels\u2026 different<\/em>. It\u2019s not disturbing-monkey-baby-hybrid different, it\u2019s\u2026 dark. It\u2019s off. This is the first year I\u2019ve felt a Creepy Award winner might need a trigger warning. It\u2019s not a banner year for creepy ads, is my point, and I apologize for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting into it. I am actually going to bring us in to the awards with some touching ads, in preparation for what\u2019s to come \u2014 the single piece of white bread before you leave for a night out in a feeble attempt to head off the inevitable hangover: kid giving a pep talk to his team of toys<\/a>, the kind of neighborhood Ring would just love<\/em> to surveil<\/a>, and girls celebrating body confidence in sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 And we were going to have to get to the Creepy stuff eventually, so no more stalling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorable Mentions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Levi’s, <\/em>“Backstory”<\/a> (TBWA\\Chiat\\Day LA). <\/em>Not honestly all that creepy, but I do say this as an avowed butt woman: That\u2019s just a lot<\/em> of butts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hellmann\u2019s, <\/em>“Sweet Sandwich Time”<\/a> (VML US).<\/em> Bologna with a face, plus, stay away from my sandwich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthropic, <\/em>\u201cCan I get a six pack quickly?\u201d<\/a> and \u201cHow can I communicate better with my mom?\u201d<\/a> (Mother).<\/em> Legit, for-real creepy, but intentionally so, and we have a policy of scoring down ads that pander to the judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronze: Xfinity, \u201cJurassic Park\u2026 Works\u201d (Goodby Silverstein & Partners)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right out of the gate: Screw you, GS&P, for bringing your creepy AI de-aging to my Jurassic Park<\/em> theme and assorted assets. You don\u2019t deserve alluringly lounging Jeff Goldblum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n