leyton.org

…or Not?

They’re a curious medium. Almost all of them are irritating, repetitive (by design) and frustrating. They - in me - almost achieve the precise opposite of what they’re trying to do, ie. I’ll actively go out of my way not to buy the product in question. Of course, sometimes their precise aim is irritation, for with it comes ‘brand awareness’, ie. I’m now aware of the product (even if that’s with a mild headache and a penchant to throttle the exec who commissioned it, to see what he makes of my ‘awareness’ of his ‘brand’ then).

But every now and then along comes an advert that I just can’t fault. It’s thoughtful, interesting, amusing, considered. A classic even. Who didn’t like the original Guiness adverts? Or Honda’s latest attempts? Yes, even a few of the jeans adverts too. I think you’d have to be a much harder individual than me to hate them. They were well executed pieces of film.

So there’s a new one to add to the list, for more reasons than just it’s novel and unique. The Sony Bravia advert on television (”the one with the balls in San Francisco, and the nice music“). Well the tune is liked by both Frances and I, and I absolutely adore the cinematography. So in a advertising break that featured it, I went on a hunt to find “the artist”. In doing so, I found the advert’s website, which features some fascinating ‘making of’ mini-features (they’re real balls by the way: I’d thought they were CGI).

The musician is José Gonzàlez, and the track is “Heartbeats” from his debut album “Veneer“, which I was pleased to discover was available on iTunes. So after a bit of a preview, I figured I’d buy it. The reviews on iTunes commented “a modern Simon & Garfunkel”, and it does describe him very well. Anyway, I’m sure he’s done very well from sales due to the advert (it’s #16 in the iTunes singles chart right now), but the music is beautiful, relaxing, and just what I need both now, and on a long drive.