Commercials as Art: A Brief Case Study

Yes, television commercials are an ever more frequent annoyance and at their core serve only to promote some unnecessary byproduct of our material-obsessed culture.  But they can also be pretty nifty little pieces of art, and the new Bacardi Mojito ad is an excellent example of a company taking the time to do something special with their slice of corporate airtime.  

Making inspired use of a previously obscure song that employs musical elements from just about every era dating back to the Wild West saloons, the ad smoothly treks back in time through the lounges and dance clubs that have served as vital escapes throughout this nation's history.  It's an elegant and innocently joyful visual journey accomplished in only a minute, and if you took the specific product's name out and made it about a generic spirit, the artistic impact would be much the same.

Kudos to Bacardi for providing at least one little gem in the endless procession of irrelevant garbage that passes for advertising.  We've got to live with these things on television, so the least the companies can do is make them good.  And you know what?  I want a mojito now, so mission accomplished.

Note:  The song in the ad is 'Daylight' from the duo Matt and Kim.  Get on iTunes and reward them for some very solid work with the track.