Of course there's beauty to be found amidst the wreckage of Detroit. And an amazing and giving spirit, as you'll see if you don't to jump to conclusions too early in this inspirational video.
Product placement. If you're a director or producer, you love the money, but hate the strings that come attached: Ceding editorial and treatment control to a third party who might care more about their product shots than making something that serves the greater goal. Also, you hate the agency people on set. And if you're an agency, you hate having to fund a bulk of a video budget and then getting pushed back at every step. Also, you hate being on set with all those production pirates.
So, what if you could retroactively make placements in videos: Affixing advertisements to bare walls, changing storefronts to national chains and all sorts of other digital chicanery.
Genius, right? VEVO has teamed with international company Mirriad — who specialize in "advertising for the skip generation" — to make it happen with music videos. The initiative was first teased via an AdAge report and then announced at the video streaming giant's NewFronts presentation last night,.
First up for the co-venture is Aloe Blacc "The Man" and the newly inserted Levi's ads are constrained just to the VEVO.com version (and not the YouTube.com)...
Next up is all sorts of potential genius... Maybe a body groomer would work great in "Big Bad Wolf"?
Whereas the original version's video had a message about finding somewhere to belong (and buying Denim & Supply), this acoustic version from Aloe Blacc addresses a different topic. Produced in association with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, using real people involved in the cause.
A young woman and her daughter (sister?) don't seem to fit into their rugged Americana town... until the elder sets out to discover where they finally belong.
If this looks a lot more like an extended fashion ad, well, Mark Seliger did direct it — his first video in what feels like a long time. Plus Avicii himself is a supporter ofRalph Lauren's Denim & Supply line.
