[advert] Wheels Within Wheels — brief commentary on the Mercedes car advert …
‘…the Mercedes branding of Lucky Star is subtle, verging on imperceptible. Those who watch the trailer and are eager to find out more will unearth not a high-octane thriller, but an invitation to their nearest Mercedes showroom. Whether Mann’s glacé camerawork will then be enough to sustain that interest once they notice the car’s £92,000 price tag is moot. For Mercedes, it is evidently a risk worth taking. The prize, after all, is precious indeed: the neutering of our scepticism when confronted with advertising.’
‘…the Mercedes branding of Lucky Star is subtle, verging on imperceptible. Those who watch the trailer and are eager to find out more will unearth not a high-octane thriller, but an invitation to their nearest Mercedes showroom. Whether Mann’s glacé camerawork will then be enough to sustain that interest once they notice the car’s £92,000 price tag is moot. For Mercedes, it is evidently a risk worth taking. The prize, after all, is precious indeed: the neutering of our scepticism when confronted with advertising.’
Wheels within Wheels — Lucky Lucky Star…
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 11th, 2002 at 9:11 am and is filed under Adverts, Michael Mann, Movies.
« Everything I Need To Know I Learned From The X-Men You Ask The Questions… Richard Branson »
hmm.. does this kind of thing neuter or promote scepticism? judging by the reactions online, i’d say the latter, actually.
I think the point that the piece is making is that our scepticism is circumvented in the short-term. We don’t expect it to be advertising so we’re taken unawares. This is pretty much what I’ve been arguing on barbelith. The only possible reaction to it in the long-term however seems to be that one of the few remaining bastions of straight-down-the-line only-semi-cynical advertising – the trailer – becomes immediately suspicious and uncomfortable viewing…
As a trailer it excited me enough to want to watch the film and go and find out more. Unfortunately the more I found out was that there was no film, gutting as while there’s no way I’d buy a mercedes, I would have quite liked to watch the film.
I think with this you’ll either become endured to the advert through trailer style, or have all your critical faculties turned to 11. Neither of which is a very good reaction for advertisers.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.