It’s no secret that we’re all about Matt and Kim (we especially like’m naked and kicking it at college). Still, we can’t help but feel they’re being used by Bacardi to white-wash the brand. In a new ad featuring “Daylight,” a Jake Gyllenhaal look-alike traipses through a series of high-end dance halls, each from a different era, all in search of the mighty mojito. The absurdity of Matt and Kim playing anywhere but a broken-down basement aside, the song is bizarrely out of step with the flappers, swing steps, ballroom dancing, and psychedelic love-in.
Check out the ad after the jump: keep an eye out for the androgynous singer (it isn’t Matt!), and see if you can spot ANYONE that isn’t white (aside from the stereotyped piano man showing pearly teeth).
Now, contrast THAT with THIS:
Comments (10)
Strange how poorly the song meshes with the commercial. And they're being subtle with the brand, too. Odd.
…that's the whole idea. the song is juxtaposed with the different time periods/swanky parties to show that bacardi, an established brand (since 1862 – thank you mr. commercial voice man), is still modern, fun to drink and hip enough for you broken-down basement dweller-types.
but even though i understand it, i still don't like it (nor do i agree with it). totally with you on the white-washing bit.
I think the commercial worked out pretty well, I mean its better than any commercial I've seen in a while but I don't watch much tv so…
Btw if you look in the 50's era theirs a black guy dancing with the white girl even though you'd be hard pressed to see that in that era in public at least.
Yeah, I also noticed the racial ickiness of this commercial, but it was overshadowed for me by the fact that my band practices next door to Matt & Kim and I've heard Daylight from conception to realization 1,000,000,000 times and am fucking sick of it despite the fact that it's a pretty good song and it made my want to drink Bacardi much less than I already do.
White-washing the brand? Hilarious. It's a pathetic distinction to look at life with such contrived grieveances.
Hey there is a black guy dancing in the 50's era… freaking idiot watch the commercial before you tear it apart. By the way its a good commercial i don't know why you have to go and knock it.
well, boy oh boy, do i feel like a fool. there is "one black guy" dancing in the background of one segment. That completely undermines my point, that this commercial is both in intent and aesthetic, an attempt to whitewash the brand. Sure, the comparison to the second commercial is astounding, but since there is one "black guy" in this one who isn't a guffawing piano man, i guess it reflects a genuine diversity. I mean, who could argue with someone who goes by such an eloquent handle: I guess this it isn't a radical departure form their marketing MO after all.
The piano man didn't look that stereotyped to me he didn't even show his "pearly teeth" you were talking about. Its only racially biased if you really want it to be. "Guffawing piano man" my ass he's just a guy playing a piano with black skin, stop trying to turn it into something it isn't.
It's crazy to think people read this far into things. A black man smiling and playing piano is by no means a racial slur, and there are many other minorities represented in this commercial if you'd take the time to look. First time I watched it I saw one African American woman dancing during the '80's scene, as well as what's been pointed out, the black man dancing with the white woman. As long as we're on the subject should we talk about what other commercials only represent certain ethnic groups? It's not a "trend", it's one commercial.
As far as Matt&Kim goes, I personally had never heard the song until the commercial. Loved it, I instantly downloaded it. Why? because it's catchy. That's the point. The commercial wants to be asthetically pleasing as to encourage viewers to purchase the product. How is anyone to blame for that? Please, enlighten me. :)
The add is about as white as most hipster dance parties that occur in broken-down basements…
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