“Soused” — Ads We Didn’t Skip

Ad: “Scott Walker + Sunn O))) — Soused,” 4AD Records

Agency: In-house(?) with photography by Gast Bouchet

Why? In this era of big data and NSA-level customer targeting, there’s no such thing as an esoteric or noncommercial taste. Us 40-something, aging indie-rock fans, formerly dedicated to not just hearing, but actually buying every musical obscurity ever mentioned by our heroes from dingy record bins and distant eBayers are now delivered irresistibly relevant ads like this one, directly to our distracted eyeballs. A Moondog fan gets RIYLed as readily as a Taylor Swift fan. Big data don’t care. Big data hits you in the wallet. (And just like a Taylor Swift album, this shit won’t be streaming for months.) Big data knows you’ll buy it.

But what about the ad? Sure, it’s got Scott’s ageless operatic poetry over death-metal drones, with beautifully creepy macro photography. But you know they had me at the first frame: Scott Walker + Sunn O))).

Will I buy what they’re selling? Of course! I already have.

– Jon (@ccmxl)