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Compromising Classical Music?

I’m a fan of savvy and witty marketing campaigns. Some of my more recent favorites include: The Most Interesting Man in the World (great TV spots!); GEICO’s satirical television campaign with dry cameo appearances (James Lipton!); Samsung’s Extreme Sheep LED Art; the Truth Campaign’s television commercials; BMW’s “Expression of Joy” spot for the Z4 Roadster (not to mention the extensive behind-the-scenes videos); and Give It a Ponder (again, James Lipton!). I just came upon this recent Heineken campaign, involving Italian soccer fans and an important match between Real Madrid and AC Milan, and found the product disappointing. I genuinely enjoyed the use of the premise of misdirection, but I could not help but feel the success of the outcome was hinged greatly upon the detriment of the entertainment value provided … Read more »

Food as Medium

If you’ve ever thought working with a diva was time consuming, try working with a sandwich. Or a salad. Or some potato chips. Yesterday was my first professional experience working on a commercial where food was the star and–let me tell you–the crew lavishes masses of attention upon that food. The chief lavisher? The food stylist. There were containers of perfectly-cut lettuce, trays of specially identified meat, dishes with symmetrically-cut cheese slices and pans of hand-selected potato chips. At one point the crew was joking, comparing the care in preparation of the food to surgery, which really isn’t that far off. The stylist did have assistants, there was a metal tray filled with tiny utensils (who knew there were so many?), and it could be argued they took their work no less seriously than that of surgeons.

The best part? Learning about stand-in food and “hero” food. Both are edible, but the stand-in food does just that–stands … Read more »

Alecia Aghast

My name isn’t Frank

Compromising Classical Music?

Food as Medium

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