Cold hard facts

Trainer and mental coach Ján Bakala is so cool he’s almost frozen. An advocate of cold water therapy, he is here depicted resting in a tub of ice while the effects of freezing temperatures are listed. 

As the clever ad – created by Elite / Monday Lovers and directed by Jan Švejkar through Hitchhiker Films – then explains, the beneficial effects of bursts of ridiculously low temperatures don’t apply to involuntary ‘ice men’ – the homeless people who have to endure the cold for whole nights, not just a few minutes.

Starting with the rapid lowering of blood pressure, extreme cold can go on to cause hypothermia, leading to disorientation and, ultimately, cardiac arrest. 

The ad ends with a call to support Depaul Slovakia, a non-profit that provides homeless people with shelter and a warm bed every night – something that, in winter, is a literal lifesaver.