Bread Line Design

Jimmy Bedford, top dog over at Jack Daniels whiskey distillery died last August. How do I know this? I was greeted to a wall sized photo of the man on a London tube station yesterday afternoon. The three metre high advert features a shot of the deceased along side an emotional message and obligatory shot of the whiskey bottle. It’s perhaps touching his employers decided to honor him with a slot in their current campaign, but I can’t help feeling such a gesture is laced with more than a touch of cynicism.

Every brand wants an emotional connection with its customer, but surely evangelizing dead employees is a little strong? Dont get me wrong, simply because someone’s dining in the afterlife doesn’t mean they should miss out on lucrative advertising deals. Steve Mcqueen demonstrated this aptly in his Puma ad, and more recently poverty loving Gandhi has attached his name to a £16,000 pen.

No what surprised me about The Jack Daniels latest ad is that it the man featured was neither famous, nor was the advert dressed as that, an advert. Steve’s Ford effort was at least tongue-in-check, and Mont blancs Gandhi fiasco simply a miss placed endorsement. By comparison Jack Daniels latest effort is insidiously sentimental, delivered with all the subtlty of a 2000lb bomb. I’m praying this ad tactic doesn’t catch on. My Monday morning tube ride can be depressing enough without Jack D’s marketing department pushing dead men and whiskey in my face.