OK, this is just wrong on so many levels.
I was on ESPN today watching news about the latest NCAA scandal, this one about Jim Tressel resigning as Ohio State’s football coach because of something involving his players selling OSU memorabilia for money (just for context…this is really irrelevant here). Ahead of the ESPN video clip was a video ad with ESPN’s own Kenny Mayne as the pitchman for JC Penney and some deal on Van Heusen shirts (screen shot above is from the actual ad).
Somehow, someway, with some creative editing, they tied in the beyond leg-en-dary Phoebe Cates getting-out-of-the-pool-scene (link is very very NSFW) from Fast Times at Ridgemont High within the ad.
How dare they!! Heretics!! This is the Phoebe Cates scene from Fast Times!!
But beyond using an epic scene from one of the greatest cult hits in movie history, which is tattooed in the minds of most males who grew up at some point the 1980’s (seriously, ask any 10 guys who grew up at that time their top 5 sexiest movie scenes from that era, and I guarantee you 9 of them will say Phoebe Cates getting out of the pool in the red bikini in Fast Times.), do they not recall the broader context for the scene (Judge Reinhold taking care of, er, “business” in the bathroom)? Anyone who recalls this scene will also know the broader context. That’s what made it such an epic scene. So as a brand manager, not only would I have to seriously question the immense lack of creativity in this ad (oh, I have an idea…lets edit in the Phoebe Cates bikini scene from Fast Times into a video ad for dress shirts), I’d have to ask if this is the type of association I would want in the mind’s, er, eye of my customer? Really? The worst part? The tie in makes absolutely no sense within the context of the ad!!
Oh, wait wait wait…I get it. That was the whole point! To start a conversation online about the ad. You got me. You’re good. #not