John Lydon advertising butter. Iggy Pop flogging insurance. Now Marley's ghost is coming our way - but how and when we do not yet know. The word is out that the estate of Bob Marley has agreed to license the singer's likeness and name to retailers and brands 28 years after the great man's death. How will they select those brands? And how will they fit in with Marley's own brand? If the cap fits, let them wear it...Should be a fascinating space to watch.
Mark Griffiths www.idealconsulting.co.uk
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It can surely be no surprise that Mssrs Lydon and Osterberg have accepted a fat fee for appearing in advertising. Nor too that the estate of Bob Marley is looking to cash in.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in earlier years as Iggy and Rotten they might have demurred, favouring instead to build their credibility and support their anarchic stance. But frankly they would not have had the commercial chance then anyway. When they were famous (or inspirational) as artists they were of no commercial interest to the marketeers of butter and insurance.
What intrigues me is why they are useful today? Who are the target markets, and what is the message?
As they are both over 50 the target is not a youth market, nor the message 'butter/insurance is trendy'. ( NB: 2 of my kids recognised Iggy - he's still just an old rocker to them).
My wife was never a fan of either - and didn't recognise either - although she thought she'd seen Rotten somewhere before (in the Jungle probably). I think she is in the vast majority.
There is a small group (I'd like to think of it as an elite) for whom Iggy and Rotten were inspirational. They will surely recognise both and hold them dear. But as a member of that group I can say I am not minded to go for either product because of the adverts. Quite the reverse - it makes me sad, and feel my age.
And so I am left to think that the message is 'butter/insurance is not dull' and that Lydon and Osterberg are there as eccentrics to liven up that message. Clearly Jon McCririck nor Patrick Moore were not available that day ...
Well said. And well before the BBC decided to get hold of the subject:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/magazine/7901003.stm