Hockey Player Shows Off Smashed Up Chiclets in Comedic Sponsorship Spot

Ice hockey fans are no strangers to the rough and tumble of the rink, and so this commercial for Kazakhstani bank ForteBank is bound to to strike a chord. 

The bank recent  became the official sponsor of Barys hockey club in Kazakhstan. To celebrate the fact that the team ended the 2018/2019 season at the top of the leaderboard, the bank has put out a cheeky commercial that puts a new twist on going for gold.

The simple spot sees a proud player whose front teeth have been bashed out, and, well, he makes good use of the gold medal. The video ends with a slogan in English - ‘Going for the gold together’' - as its going to be broadcast not only on national TV, but before international games as well.

The symbolism here is layered and it doesn’t just refer to Barys’s recent victories. Gold is a significant element in Kazakhstan’s national symbolic system: pictured on the flag and the coat of arms, it means wellbeing, justice and open-heartedness. A hockey player’s bright smile reveals the numerous meanings that Voskhod has implied in the video’s key phrase ‘Going for the gold together!’.

In a feat of ingenuity and efficiency, Voskhod and Daddy's Film production shot the clip during the team’s live training session at the club’s home arena. The spot was directed by Andrey Gubaydullin, who is also ECD and founder of Voskhod. The main character is played by an actual Barys player, Alykhan Asetov, who is a forward. Next to him in the shot is another forward Roman Starchenko.