The Van Beckons
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 12:01AM If you watch NFL football, then you probably saw the new Honda Odyssey commercial yesterday. The Odyssey is a seemingly un-metal mini-van (shudder) but the ad concept is smart: a family man, checking out a hot looking van, while Judas Priest plays in the background. There's a Marshall amp and "guitar hero" on the van monitor, too.
Heavy metal music is increasingly used in ad campaigns. Target is running one right now with a woman making pancakes while AC/DC blares in the background. I assume ad execs think the use of classic metal bands adds an element of "danger" to otherwise banal products geared toward a post-Boomer generation. If my thesis is true, what does this say about Metal overall? Perhaps Metal isn't underground at all anymore. Sort of takes all the danger out of the genre, eh?
Reader Comments (5)
The Target spot is straighter. It's just a word play thing they're doing with AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock". In other words, Mom "Rocks" because she's using Target stuff.
Hey, it makes you realize their target demographic, in both cases, are people who are familiar with this music. Plus, it is the kind of music many Target shoppers and Honda buyers actually like or used to, so it's appealing to them to hear it as the music tracks for these commercials. The music makes them like the products more.
And the music is integral to the "concept" in each commercial, no matter how weak the link may be to the message. Also, it does get your attention and, with the Odyssey spot, is actually kinda funny.