I've been toying for some months now about the idea of adding a bizarre ad of the week to my blog. And I've kept for over a year, this ad which incredibly, seems to be highly successful.
Now, every time I go back to Detroit, I'm met with another "Hi -- this is Art Van -- Come to Our 'Everything must go!' Furniture sale. I've been listening to Art Van for so long, I'm sure his furniture store should be renamed Rip Van Winkle. So, it's not an Italian thing at all.
But, the thing I love about this ad is that Mr. Carlino has embalmed himself in a sort of 1964 pose, never to come out again. It's like watching reruns of Leave it to Beaver. I frankly for some time wondered if he was even alive. I was thinking maybe the kids had him stuffed and brought out under the hot lamps for photo shoots once a year. Or, in the very least, they colored in those ads that he surely made back in the 50s.
But then, something remarkable happened. Here he was, looking down upon me from that giant billboard in the sky, NOT to sell me my dream home, but to get my vote for the upcoming European Parliament elections.
Same pose - same position. A little investigation later, and I've discovered that, unlike his cutout in his ads, he has aged, and I'd even say, for the better. He went so far as to make an ad for TV, which has been rolling every evening for some time now. It has even provoked an analysis by a blogger.
But, cast my vote for him? I still sort of feel like I'd be asking Ozzie to come out of his 1960s home and represent me in 2009.
6 comments:
Francesca:
You'll have to 'splain it to me. Is this one of Silvio, Il Duce's, Italians living abroad voting scam?
Frankly, "Alabama passes....
Davide
omg! i have seen the billboards round town and realized the face was familiar... he always had his apartment ads in the freebie newspapers. thanks tucc for clearing that mystery up for me.
xo
Dave: no, they're running elections for parliamentarians in Brussels. So, if you're active in govt. and get yourself on one of the 'lists', you could find yourself with a cozy stipend in Brussels, pretending to govern each of the highly unique countries (while, they, in turn totally thumb their collective noses at you and your EU rules).
It's a pretty good deal. No one pays much attention, you get to eat caviar and run around with your secretary...
Francesca:
I still don't get it. Is this ad, with Detroit ad personality running in Europe or in Detroit?
Yeah, Silvio, Il Duce is putting up his Bimbos for the EU Parliament...right?
Davide
Mr. Carlino (ad in question) is running in Italy.
He is the Italian equivalent of Art Van Furniture stores in Detroit.
Neither the twain shall meet.
As for me? Well, I could be one of those Detroit residents pretending to be an Italian citizen and run for office if I was so inclined!
What I love about it is that, well, it creates confusion. We are all so used ot seeing him on his business adds that we don't even notice that he's running for office unless we squint real hard.
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