You’ve probably seen this advert. It starts in almost total darkness, there’s a hint of a guitar riff; you can just make out the outlines of bodies and faces. Then out of nowhere Bono’s smug voice whines, “every generation gets a chance to change the world...” and you realise with dismay... it’s just that annoying Blackberry advert with U2 in it. Again. I’m not usually easily annoyed by something as insignificant as a TV advertisement (and at the very least try to keep any U2-related moaning to a minimum). But this one, which seems to sneak up everywhere on both the TV and the internet, has pushed me over the edge (no pun intended).
A reluctant click on the Blackberry website reveals a teaser ad hinting at some of the features of what they call a ‘U2 Mobile Album’ which will incorporate tour information, tracks, photos and general idol-worshipping (the campaign slogan is ‘Blackberry loves U2’ –desperate much?), and will undoubtedly become an essential for die-hard U2 fans (who incidentally happen to be one of the most scarily obsessive fan bases around. Even more so than Muse fans, which is saying something).
As well as bringing out my passive-aggressive side, it has got me thinking about the recent use of pop/rock stars in commercials. A close contender for Most Annoying Celebrity Endorsement would have to be P!nk’s ‘surprise’ appearance in the latest flashmob-inspired advert for T-Mobile. As with U2, this is another ad for a mobile phone company, so it’s just a tiny bit strange that neither seem to have anything to do with phones in any way. OK, I understand that it’s more about showing off the brands’ credibility and holding the goldfish-like attention span of the ‘cool young people’. But still, all that comes to mind when I see them is, “how is P!nk’s microphone louder than an entire crowd of people’s?” or “does The Edge really have to wear that woolly hat everywhere? Is it symbolic of something (other than his massive ego)?”
Done in the right way, music in TV commercials can be effective (if not tolerable at the very least). A couple of years ago, my sister and I coined our own made-up genre, ‘Mobile Phone Music’ to refer to songs and bands that got noticed simply through sound-tracking an Orange or T-Mobile ad. This is how many people came across Joanna Newsom (you know her, she did that quirky psych-folk song in that advert with the blackout in it), Born Ruffians (that indie song in the one with all the balloons at the train station, remember?) and Bedoin Soundclash (that one with those people who bend the trees and stuff out of their way... you get the general idea).
These ads had the double-whammy of subtly bringing possibly lesser-known, non-mainstream artists to a mass audience as well as, shocker, actually advertising their own product at the same time. Maybe Blackberry and T-Mobile should take the hint: adverts are so much less irritating when the music is in the background, not shoved down our throats.
- Kate
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