The Joy of Culture Shock
By Mark Lang
Arguably the most popular opera in history, Carmen has been staged innumerable times in the 129 years since its creation. And if one includes works based on the tragic story of a Spanish gypsy and her jealous lover, the number of performances chases infinity.
It's safe to say, though, that the opera's French composer, Georges Bizet, could never have imagined the latest iteration of his musical masterpiece: a TV commercial titled "Pepsi's Carmen." (Of course, Bizet probably never conjured television either, and joie de vivre, not "Joy of Pepsi," would have been his tagline.)
"The idea of using Carmen didn't come right away," says Desmond Hall, creative director at Spike DDB in New York. "[At first] we thought what a tragedy it would be if someone lost his Pepsi. Then we thought New York would make a great setting for this tragedy. People see the big city as a cold, harsh place."
Stir in pop star Beyonc� Knowles and director Spike Lee, and things started to click. In the end, the idea of loss plus the ad's music-video nature plus Knowles equaled "Pepsi's Carmen."
"Beyoncé as Carmen made sense," Hall says, "and Spike breathed life into the idea. He worked closely with the choreographer [Laurie Ann Gibson]."
The spot, the shop's first work for Pepsi since winning the client's multicultural account last December, follows the adventures of Zeke from Battle Creek, who loses his can of Pepsi in a stylized and gleaming Times Square. (Ironically, the commercial was filmed on the Warner Bros. lot in Hollywood, Calif.) After the accident, Zeke experiences the randomness of fate, the capriciousness of life, desire, temptation, hope and despair--all in 60 seconds!
The dancing is superb, the choreography impressive (more than 70 performers in all) and the singing lush and layered. Knowles' nuanced performance--borrowing music from the opera--is spot on.
The ad is also a tip of the cap to New York City. Zeke interacts with "all walks of New York life," Hall says. "Tourists, businessmen, cab drivers, Con Ed workers, cops on horses. The city's image changed after 9/11. New Yorkers band together now."
In fact, everyone stops what they're doing to help Zeke out, and unlike its tragic namesake, the commercial features a happy ending: As the swelling crowd cheers, Zeke procures another Pepsi from a street vendor.
Too bad soft-drink vendors were few and far between in 19th century Spain. Maybe if Carmen had purchased liquid refreshment on that fateful day, destiny's child would have missed her appointment with Don José's dagger.
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