The purpose of the spot is to recast Starbucks as a sort of offline social networking platform by visiting locations around the world and observing the people who frequent them.
It’s compelling.
It’s also very similar, conceptually, to the 2010 film Life in a Day: all filmed in different spots around the world during a single 24-hour period.
Most likely, this video of Macklemore and his Jazzy Jeff shadow Ryan Lewis is a staged marketing effort from TBWA\Chiat\Day LA to promote the 56th Grammy Awards. The two musicians hop on a New York City bus with a boombox and start performing an impromptu concert full of Macklemore’s signature exuberance and corny hand movements. The riders on the bus start dancing and feeling the music – the bus driver even starts clapping on (probably fake) closed circuit footage.
I’d probably react the same way if Macklemore came on the crosstown bus. But you know how I know it’s not real? Because if anyone came on NYC public transportation with a boombox and started making noise, there will undoubtedly be at least two people who hate it and tell them to shut it off before they turn into depressed and sarcastic versions of the Hulk.
But whether it is real or not, the question everyone wants to know is: where is Ray Dalton? Credits after the jump.
Right about this time every year, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA debuts its TV spots for the Grammys. And, every year, they’re pretty underwhelming. A few years back, we got a swirly, graphics overload with CGI re-tellings of artists like Eminem’s life story. Last year, we got the hashtag-happy #TheWholeWorldIsListening, which aimed to put viewers into the shoes of stars like Rihanna while trying to convince them that the awards show was still in any way relevant.
This year’s first spot, “Anthem,” looked more like a VH1 commercial than anything else, and it seemed we were in for yet another year of mediocrity. But then, dare we say it, the Grammys and Chiat LA ctually surprised us. The latest spot in the Music Unleashes Us campaign, “Drive” (above), does a fantastic job of convincing viewers that they owe it to the artists who get them through times of sorrow and heartbreak to watch their performances on the Grammys.
From Pink and fun., we move to Macklemore and “Doughnut Shop,” another well-produced and compelling spot filmed outside of Inglewood’s famous Randy’s Donuts. Again, these spots excel at following through with what the campaign promises – portraying the affect that popular music has on the average TV viewer. It both ignites and unleashes, an important sentiment for the Grammys to glom onto as the show still figures out its approach to celebrating an industry that doesn’t know what to do next. One more Katy Perry-tinged spot, and credits, follow after the jump.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
