Ad Break

There is a current trend in TV advertising to use vintage names from the music industry.

Some are more palatable than others, I still struggle with Iggy Pop selling car insurance, but these commercials must be successful as new scripts are commissioned building on the original theme. Famously, John Lydon (ex-sex pistol) boosted the sales of Country Life butter by 85%. The reason why is that they simply make great telly, each being superbly scripted and enhanced by John's personality. And it has worked for him too, recently revealing that his payment fee has been invested into the reformation of his post-punk band Public Image Limited, who had previously been held in financial limbo by their uninterested record company.

And now Gary Numan has entered the arena – this american ad for Die Hard batteries has a unique twist, and I love the expression on his face throughout.



I like that.

Many of us find the thought of our favourite pop stars in advertising abhorrent , which I guess has its root in the fear of 'selling out'. I think if the resulting film is creative and entertaining, then the participating pop star can retain some credibility but as album sales decline and a tour needs funding, we could be seeing many more pop stars during the ad break.

But let's not get too carried away – I don't want to see Morrissey selling veggie friendly cat food.