guys in thriftshop pants sell luxury goods (again)
A new ad for luxury vehicle Jaguar features Aqueduct’s “Hardcore Days and Softcore Nights.” The spot is exceptionally unexceptional, featuring regulation-grade footage of the car’s luxe curves while the music plays in the background.
Even as music in advertisements gets a bit more interesting, the ads themselves seem increasingly standardized — we just went from stock footage of automobile with hits by bands like Kansas and the Kinks to stock footage of automobile mixed up with the likes of the Walkmen and the aforementioned Aqueduct.
The whole thing strikes me as a wee bit sad. If the history of music videos (and the number of directors who have gone on to lucrative and artistically interesting careers after getting started with MTV-ready videos) is any indication, a talented director can do a lot with a few seconds of footage and air time. So, while I’m glad to hear some underground gems popping up in the advertisements during the network news, I’d like to see some more interesting visual accompaniment.
Print advertisements have already taken to stomping all over the fine lines between advertising, art and philosophy, and the results are often breathtaking — flip through any high-end magazine and you’ll see. Granted, television advertisements represent more of a financial commitment from product peddlers, but I’d love to see some artistic risks funneled into my living room along with reruns of Seinfeld.
If you want to read more about the music popping up with product pitches, check out Adtunes.com.