Catch the Wind

If you watch the Sunday morning news shows, you'll note that the breaks seem to be filled with spots for giant corporations like Boeing, USB, Dow, Archer Daniels Midland, AT&T, etc. They always seem to follow the same formula. Show a bunch of multi-ethnic people all around the world, staring or smiling at the camera while a narrator talks in vague terms about what this company does. Usually, they are "changing the world, one person at a time" or some such drivel. When the :30 or :60 is over, you're still pretty clueless about what the company does.

But thrown in the mix this morning was this :45 spot for GE. This is the sort of commercial that elevates the art of commerical making. I looked up the lyrics and it seems the catchy song is "Catch the Wind" from 60s hippie folksy Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The spot tells a cute tale with a great finish while explaining what GE is trying to do.



Don't know much about Donovan, but as far as him "selling out," this isn't nearly the kind of sellout you see from other musicians (Aerosmith, anyone?) and it's sure a far cry from the Stones Rice Krispies jingle of 1964. (Yes, click that Stones link. It's worth a laugh.) My guess is the hippie Donvan said "Wind Power? Yeah - I can get behind that. GE, you say? Wow. They've got lots of cash, don't they? I'm in."

Other cool tunes that were used in ads: Spoon's Jaguar contribution