Rory Tregaskis – 5th July 2011
There’s a saying in ad land that music is half the ad.
There are a few recent examples that prove this theory. Think of the Fallon’s Cadbury’s gorilla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo . If he was drumming along to Lindisfarne’s Fog On The Tyne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF5xVnTo8gs (great song though it is), rather than that Phil Collins number it might not have had the same impact. The idea worked so well with the song that for ages after I remember hearing it just about everywhere I went.
Or take the example of Adam and Eve’s John Lewis ad featuring Fyfe Dangerfield’s cover of the Billy Joel song Always A Woman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHcm1ec7CcY . It works so well, and is so moving it could almost be official video for the song. But try playing it with the sound muted and Haffi Get It by Sizzla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIUTHcw3W8g playing instead. Doesn’t work so well.
What about musicians in ads though?
If someone told you the synopsis of the Swiftcover ad with Iggy Pop in, it would sound like the most bat shit crazy advert ever.
“There’s this new car insurance advert with Iggy Pop driving a purple convertible while having a conversation with his alter ego who is a puppet that represents a maniacal side of himself. Iggy is visibly pissed off with the puppet (himself) and wants a bit of ‘me time’. The advert explores the existential turmoil inherent in the creative soul, in Iggy’s case expressing itself as schizophrenia. It is a tender but surreal portrait of the human condition, touching and moving, a masterpiece.”
Somehow, and I have no idea how, what should have been one of the greatest adverts ever made just doesn’t work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhBnEV3ElvY.
Whereas this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsFrFQ-F64Y Victoria Secret advert featuring Bob Dylan scowling at a lingerie model with his song Love Sick (“I’m sick of love, I wish I’d never met you”) should have been bad, but is somehow great.
Why does it work? Why did he do it? Who knows, but my guess is he just wanted to hang around girls in their knickers.
John Lydon did an advert for Country Life Butter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mSE-Iy_tFY , which, though a bit depressing for PiL or Sex Pistols fans, actually worked ok. There is an idea there and he is well cast, they didn’t just wheel him out and get him to say “I’m Johnny Rotten, buy this butter.”
My last example, Euro RSCG London’s Citroen anti-retro ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ph4rZU0Ns4 is probably one of the most controversial ads featuring a musician in recent years. It doesn’t make sense on so many levels I am not sure where to start, so I’ll make a list.
1. It isn’t even John’s voice. They dug out some footage of John Lennon circa 1968 and dubbed an actor (pretending to be Lennon) talking about people being nostalgic for the 60s and 70s. By December 1980 John was dead, so I don’t think he even ever said what he appears to be saying in the advert. I haven’t been able to find this out for sure, but he definitely didn’t say it in 1968.
2. The idea is flawed. The ad is telling us to be ‘anti-retro’, so it is puzzling that they decided to use footage that is 40 odd years old.
3. They can’t have known anything about John Lennon. In his lifetime John did use advertising to promote peace but we can safely say he would have never allowed his image to be used in this way.
The ad is so close to being a parody, with a slight tweak it could have been fab. If they had pushed it just a bit further and got John to say something like “buy a Citroen, right, ‘cause, they’re great y’know” at the end. Or “If I were still alive, I’d probably be driving one of these y’know.”
What is “anti-retro” anyway? Sounds like the kind of ad bollocks that probably sounded great in a board room somewhere but actually means nothing.
Adverts with pop stars in them are just like any other adverts. Like Dave Trott says, if they have impact, communication and persuasion they have a chance of being successful. Unfortunately, while the Lennon ad had impact I don’t think it communicated or persuaded very well.
