• by Larissa Faw , February 12, 2018

Several advertisers are getting a bit cheeky in new ads that either make fun of themselves or their customers. The brands say it's all in good fun. Hopefully, customers will agree. 

To coincide with New York Fashion Week, Diesel and its agency, Publicis Italy, are introducing an authentic knock-off store called “Deisel” on Canal Street, the city's mecca for fake goods. 

The items at this Deisel store were actually one-of-a kind pieces specially crafted by Diesel design team disguised with fake Deisel branding. The project spread across social media and the agency developed its own entertaining video that documented the reactions of those who visited the pop-up experience.

We Are Social is introducing an internal project aimed at the lovelorn for Valentine's Day to demonstrate its creative and technological capabilities using the Lens Snapchat. The agency's #CynicalCupid provides words of romantic "wisdom" to interested recipients. Once the Lens is fully loaded, a pop-up will appear to unlock the animated spokesperson for 24 hours.

Users can then ask Cynical Cupid "Will I ever find love?" and get one of a series of satirical answers which they are encouraged to record and share with followers and friends.

And Georgia Pacific’s Vanity Fair premium napkins is also aligning with Valentine’s Day by illustrating how napkin-users make for better dates. Developed with creative shop Figliulo&Partners, the campaign incorporates messages like napkin users are 34% more likely to laugh at all your puns in ads and are 20% more likely to notice hair parted differently in ads running across online video, out-of-home and display.

Social media users are also encouraged to share the study results by tagging #DateANapkinUser.

Separately, McDonald's and agency Leo Burnett London are poking fun at coffee lovers to promote the chain's newest addition to the McCafe menu, the Flat White.

The ad features customers in numerous coffee shops trying to get a sensible explanation as to what exactly a Flat White is, only to be met with condescending faces, impenetrable descriptions and nonsense explanations. 

Finally, a McDonald's employee tells the customer: “It’s like a stronger latte just with less milk,” with the ad ending "Now at McDonald’s."

In addition to the TV spot — running only in the UK and Ireland — the campaign includes Facebook support, out-of-home, radio, press, geo-texting and sales promotion vouchers.