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At Last

When I was at Ogilvy we pitched and won the Jaguar account with a beautiful campaign featuring Etta James’ immortal torch song, “At Last.”

The lyrics were tailor made for a brand that, at the time, peopled admired and aspired to someday own. The campaign ran for several years and, along with some new product, helped to revitalize the storied marque. (There was an anecdote of a priest alluding to our campaign in his sermon and using the lyrics to draw an analogy about finding salvation in our lives. How’s that for branded content?!)

However, yesterday I saw a spot for Hoover using Etta’s song (sorry Beyonce, it will always be Etta’s tune). I was crushed. It ruined my fond recollections of that campaign. How it fits a vacuum cleaner, I don’t know. And whether or not Hoover’s version finds its way into a Sunday sermon remains to be seen.
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Comments

Lauren Nicole Murphy said…
I have the same feelings about that song. Every time I hear it, all I can think of is the older Jaguar commercials. Apparently "at last" there is a vacuum for neat freaks out there... I just don't see it.
February 27, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Well Etta is also very disturbed about Beyonce singing her song. She was on the news and was telling everyone that "AT LAST" will always be her song!
March 2, 2009 at 11:38 AM
DogZog22 said…
To think the Beyonce vs Etta battle was bad enough....it pales in the Jaguar vs Hoover battle. As someone who worked for Hoover at one point in my career (NO, not door to door sales!) NEVER did I feel I was marketing a product on the level with a Jaguar. Just another sad case of classic songs selling out for a few chunks of coin!
March 14, 2009 at 11:48 PM
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