Walt Whitman used to “sing the body electric.” Now, the late poet is singing the praises of denim-clad bodies in a new advertising campaign for Levi’s launched by Wieden + Kennedy. One of the jeans company’s TV spots features an excerpt from Whitman’s “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” Another includes an audio clip that, according to Levi’s website, “is widely believed to be an original wax recording of Walt Whitman reading his 1888 poem ‘America.’”
It’s not the first time that dead authors have been used to shill products, though I can’t help finding the whole concept a little creepy and unsettling. (Plus, I would have thought that Whitman might have been put to better use shilling lawn care products — insert your own Leaves of Grass-inspired tagline here.) Of course, Whitman’s work is now in the public domain and he has no say in the matter. But I suspect that as a gay, urban-dwelling sensualist, he might have been pleased to associate himself with a stylishly shot film featuring lithe models in tight clothing. Heck, he probably would have been sounding his barbaric yawp just behind the camera.
Are there any other deceased authors who’d be perfect pitchmen (and pitchwomen) to help sell modern products? Or is the whole idea of advertisers using a dead celebrity writer somehow unseemly?
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While it’s always great to hear a reading of Whitman’s poetry, to hear in the service of selling a product seems just plain wrong. Wearing the same pair of jeans as everyone else does not make you a rebel.
My friend and I were arguing over these ads. He is (for unclear reasons) disturbed by the commercials. I happen to love them – very moody, very reverent. And if it’s the only way to hear a Whitman classic, then I’ll take it. If nothing else, they are more interesting than most ads.
I thought I was the only one who was disturbed by these commercials! For me, I think it has to do with the guy doing the voice over. He sounds like a villain.
I’d love to David Foster Wallace’s footnotes used in an advertisement for Dr. Scholls.
This is so bad. Well, at least they were not having sex in the last frame
(when the fireworks exploded).
Disgrace.
Who cares. There are so many things that are far more worthy of everyone’s energy to debate right vs. wrong. But there is precedent here. To get the answer to whether Levi’s is right or wrong, research the conclusion we came to when Nike used “Revolution” those many years ago.
As sad as I find it that they’re using Walt Whitman poetry to sell jeans, I don’t find that the worst part of these ads. I hate that they use models who clearly are such bad actors that they can’t even pull off “normal” to try to illustrate the poetry. And it is clear that the director wanted it to look all documentary-like, but it feels so staged that it becomes less real than if they hadn’t tried so hard. This is just awful
I enjoy the ads- they sure don’t make me want to buy levi’s though.
If it brings more people to sample Walt Whitman’s poetry – then I’m not too fussed.
I’ve been engrossed by the ads every time they air, mainly because I’m always a sucker for black/white advertising. But there’s a pretty convincing write-up in favor of the ads using Whitman at Slate: http://slate.com/id/2233597/
Using the images of dead celebs in commercials makes me cringe (that DirecTV ad with Chris Farley? Ewwww) but I think this is different. Are we not allowed to reference, say “Moby-Dick” in an ad w/o the author’s permission?
And,oh yeah, “‘Leaves of Grass’, my butt!” – Homer.
http://theaginghepster.blogspot.com/
It’s an interesting commercial, but I have never liked using a deceased person in ads. It is off putting and kind of disrespectful.
I wonder what Whitman would say about this ad and about the rest stop named in his honor along the Jersey Turnpike. Leaves of Cinnabon?
Nothing like using an American genius in Whitman to sell a Chinese made now pair of Levis pants. They have the nerve to tell us about being American and being Pioneers! Please Levis! You sold the USA out! Leave Walt’s work to the remaining Pioneers in the USA!
Anything that gets poetry to people is a good thing…
I once heard Robert Frosts’ “Two Roads” in a (Lincoln?) car commercial ad, being read by actors of different ages, races, creeds. I couldn’t figure out if they were implying that their car had the steering and all terrain ability to navigate the road less taken or that just buying their vehicle was the road less taken. I don’t like it all, but if this is what it takes to get 1 out of every 100,000 people to be interested somewhat in Walt Whitman, least of all poetry in general, then whatever. Its free for anyone to use, and I think Whitman would have admitted that.