BigShinyThing : emergent culture

Jack White’s Coke ad

Via Ad-Rag and the NME.

Coke Coup

The NME quotes the White Stripes’ singer as saying:

I’ve been offered the opportunity to write a song in a way which interests me as a songwriter. I certainly wouldn’t want a song that I’d already written to be used on a commercial. That seems strange.

But to be asked to write something particular along one theme of love in a worldwide form that I’m not really used to appealed to me. I’ve written a song and I wrote it really quickly and it’s an interesting commercial that’s been made. I was inspired by the commercial.

Inspired by the commercial! Now that’s an impressive piece of branded entertainment! And potentially a fascinating precedent for the ad industry: instead of trying to buy artists (à la McDonald’s), inspire them. [BTW, iPod doesn’t count – too much love already!]

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Update: the NME has since amended this story: the quote from White has been replaced by ‘an advertising source’ who is quoted as saying that “Coke have been talking to Jack about getting him to write a new song and he’s very interested.”

A band source told NME.COM that White had “been in talks” with Coca-Cola, but insisted he was still considering his options:

He’s been asked to do it and is just deciding whether or not it’s a good idea. White Stripes turned down a Gap advert, so if they did it it’d probably be a case of Jack writing a new song for the commercial.

There is neither a confirmation nor denial on the band’s own site.

Wait and see.