Commercials Can Be Cool Too!

Many commercials nowadays are trying to sell not just products, but also moods in their 30 second airtime. Memorable ones that come to mind are the P&G commercials during the London Olympics; tear-jerking montages of athletically gifted children and their rise to excellence, all set to Ludivico Einaudi piano compositions.Instantly you’re nostalgic, thinking of the sacrifices that your own mother made during your childhood, inspired by these fictional olympians and their trials, and even though you don’t realize it as you watch, more willing to associate a P&G product with these emotions.

Transporting the viewer away from their TV screen and into their emotions is the way to capturing a customer, though many companies these days skip this approach entirely (the same old ‘I’m a manly man who drives a manly car’ ads come to mind). Some of my favorites are also the Apple commercials (not the ones where they compare phones) because even though I know that they’re manipulating me through pathos, I can’t help but be inspired in the case of the first one, or be deeply touched with the second one.

These commercials border on lengthy, so its understandable why most advertisers would go with the “LOOK AT MY PRODUCT! BUY IT!” approach. Imagine my surprise to find a 15 second TV spot that hits the commercial trifecta: sells the product, intrigues the watcher and is hella stylish and atmospheric. And for a hotel, no less.

First of all, that girl. She’s the definition of perfection. A Brigitte Bardot look-alike who makes tiny shimmies look effortless and dancing with yourself seem cool. Guys instantly want her, girls want to be her, you know the whole deal. I would love to know the comments that the director gave her as they were filming. “Twist a little. No, even less movement! I need you to dance, but without actually dancing!”

Here’s what she looks like in real life. She’s certainly exotic looking, but the styling in the video elevates her into a retro sex goddess. And that red hair bow, I mean come on. Can you say “single and ready to mingle” any more explicitly?

The “seeing double” effects with her dancing in the mirror and the clever lighting makes the scene look like an exclusive nightclub. And at the same time, it’s a bit out of this world, a bit nightmarish. Reminds me of the scene from Black Swan when Nina is high on pills in the club and the lights and camera work are seizure inducing. Not that the commercial is anywhere near this frantic, but they both come from the same inkling of an idea.

There’s a clever twist at the end of the commercial where you see that the girl isn’t dancing alone, but for a man who’s watching her. And then “Just the Right Amount of Wrong” with the beat cutting out for half a second. Usually debauchery doesn’t interest me, but this commercial makes me want to go to the Cosmopolitan and shoo little white bunnies out of the door or whatever else you do in that hotel (see their other, less successful ad campaigns).