Constipation and death played for laughs in Prunelax campaign

Independent agency Five by Five Global has launched a new Australia campaign for Prunelax, a laxative brand from Actor Pharma. The work focuses on the feeling of relief that the product claims to provide, but in an irreverent, Halloween-appropriate way designed to stand out from the ads of most over-the-counter remedies.

Ad Nut likes the daring pairing of death and constipation—two subjects that don't get talked about much, and certainly not in the same breath. The spot shown above is the stronger of the two, for Ad Nut's money. With its mixture of comedy and murder-coverup, it somehow reminds Ad Nut of one of Ad Nut's most beloved films, the Coen brothers' 1984 noir masterpiece Blood Simple.

The spot below is perhaps a bit more obvious, but it has the virtue of throwing in yet another normally taboo thing—if you're the type who finds farts funny, you might like that one better.

The films were directed by Armand de Saint-Salvy, with Vandal & Helium Film. The agency promises three more spots in the series, which is running across YouTube, digital, BVOD and social channels.

Ad Nut had to Google 'constipation' in order to understand these TVCs and...wow. Ad Nut feels sorry for you humans. Ad Nut's all-natural, all-nut diet means that Ad Nut's system runs like clockwork.

TMI? 

CREDITS

Client: Actor Pharma
Marketing Manager: Donna Jacobson

Creative Agency: Five by Five Global
Strategy Director: Matt Lawton
Executive Creative Director: Craig Bailey
Creative: Craig Bailey
Creative: Nick Donovan
Client Director: Marc Grantham
Production Manager: Amar Narula
Account Manager: Lois Vega
Account Executive: Rukiya Ahad

Production Company: helium.film
Director: Armand de Saint-Salvy
DOP: Jordan Maddocks
Executive Producer: Brenden Johnson
Producer: Benjamin O’Donnell
Casting: Fountainhead Casting

Post Production: Vandal
Editor: Armand de Saint-Salvy
Grading: Marcus Timpson
Flame: Phil Stuart Jones
Sound Design: Nigel Crowley
Music composition: Subvert.tv

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.