HOT TAKE: Watch Two Men Die In New Bleak Dave's Hot Chicken Campaign.

The "black comedy" ads are basically all black.

I declared Death-vertising Dead last month. Apparently I was wrong. Two young men (18-34) die, violently, below.

“Sunroof”

Sam had two passions: hot chicken and driving with his head out of the sunroof. Guess what happens. Dave’s VP of marketing Dave Crocker spoke to Muse about the ads:

"The reaction to the new campaign has been amazing. That wasn't a big surprise since we researched the work among our core customer base—18- to 34-year-old guys—and the results were very, very strong. We knew that they like their ads with cutting humor, a bit of an edge and some very appetizing food. The new campaign delivered on all counts. We deliberately wanted the work to be different because we're not a conventional brand so our advertising shouldn't look or feel like conventional restaurant advertising either. If you read the comments we've been getting on TikTok and other social channels, most of them talk about how funny it is and some are a bit surprised by the approach we took but that's to be expected anytime you're not playing it safe."

Definitely not safe, Dave. Also, definitely not very funny. The Tagline: Don’t Die Before You Try It. Ha? Ad agency: Party Land, LA.

Sam, killed by sunroof, closed by his dog. SHIT.

“Time Machine”

Ryan had two loves: Hot chicken and time travel. Yes, he is electrocuted. Said agency CD Matt Rogers:

"There's a reality of FOMO that runs deep in the Dave's brand. People want to try it from what they've read or heard from their friends, and when they do, the word spreads further. We wanted to take this FOMO feeling and blow it out of the water. At Dave's they have a history of breaking the rules, so we had a lot of permission from them to go big. 'Don't Die Before You Try It' felt like the ultimate realization of where the brand started."

Stop using FOMO, ad people. Also that first sentence is pure brand bullshit, Matt, and you know it.

NOTE: This version of the ad features Ryan wanting to warn the Dinosaurs about the coming meteor. In another version of the ad (must have been killed) Ryan wants to go back and watch himself be born. Both, not funny.