Occasional blogging, mostly of the long-form variety.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Holiday Spirits


This past weekend, This American Life re-ran their episode with "Santa Fight Club," worth a listen if you don't mind hearing about a rift among professional Santas.

While I'm at it, here's the Tale of Two Macy's Commercials I didn't get a chance to comment on over the holidays. Here's the first:



I think this one's quite cleverly put together. It's a pitch designed to evoke warmth and nostalgia, but if you're a movie/TV buff, it's pretty fun. Now see the second one:



I think this one's pretty bad. On the plus side, they're supporting a good cause in the spot. I'm also not exactly the target audience, since I really only like Carlos Santana of their "celebrities," and couldn't identify all of 'em off the bat. I'm not convinced their celebrity selection is great, though, since the "wide net" approach only works if the audience doesn't dislike other members of the crew (but again, I'm not the target).

The main problem – is there anyone they could have gotten who embodies "the spirit of Christmas" less than Donald Trump? Barring world dictators and violent criminals, that is. He's crass, arrogant, gaudy, ostentatious, and a symbol for self-promotion, commercialism and greed. Plus, his delivery is characteristically wooden. I'm not sure fashion designers are great choices, either, for this spot. At least Santana, Jessica Simpson and Martha Stewart try to give some warmth to their deliveries. But no, I am not buying Christmas as sold by Donald Trump. It's like a vampire showing up to glad-hand at a baptism.

(Cross-posted at Blue Herald)

1 comment:

driouxcipher said...

Agreed! Nothing says warm and cozy like the small woodland creature that has been living on Mr. Trump's head for 20 years.
And though Martha Stewart has a carefully cultivated image in the home/kitchen world, everyone knows that underneath that beautifully handmade veneer is a bitch. (I think her prison sentence was BS, so I won't touch that.)
Regardless, the subtext of their ad seemed to be "Corporate Star Fuckers 'R' Us", which really warms the cockles on a wintry Chicago day. Stay classy, Macy's.