Jack White Loses Quantum Of Dignity

Kate Richardson | September 12, 2008 1:45 am

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If there’s one thing we know about Jack White–besides his penchant for ugly facial hair–it’s that he loves money. Lucky for him the Coca-Cola corporation has plenty where that came from, and a massive cross-promotion deal with the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. White composed the music for a new Coke Zero/Quantum commercial, proving his corporate cred once and for all to the notoriously insular and judgmental Madison Avenue scene, which has long accused him of selling in.

The ad is part of an integrated campaign that includes the rebranding of Coke Zero as Zero Zero 7 to reflect Bond’s 007 code name.

Coke’s commercial has been made in the distinctive red and black of Coke Zero–also a colour scheme used in the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army video.

Oh, now I understand why Jack White took on this project! Coke Zero bottles have the same color scheme as a White Stripes video from five years ago!

Bobby Brittain, the brand director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, said that the campaign “combines the drama of James Bond with the essence of Coca-Cola Zero in a stylish and contemporary fashion”.

Coca-Cola’s multimillion pound campaign, the largest ever to support Coke Zero, includes a tie-up with Mohamed Al Fayed’s department store Harrods.

The “essence of Coca-Cola Zero” has to be one of the most hilariously atrocious advertising buzz phrases I’ve ever heard. Yes, do explain the essence of a chemically engineered blend of carbonated water and Aspartame. Does it evoke the fizzy, fat-free riffs of the White Stripes? Or maybe the sleek masculine style of James Bond? Whatever the case, the essence of Coke Zero is definitely cool and refreshing.

As for the commercial itself, it’s graphically boring and predictable (silhouettes of girls in bikinis, a fight scene, black and red color scheme, etc.), but the song is actually pretty well-done. White incorporates some motifs of previous Bond music while putting his distinctive riff-and-percussion-heavy stamp on the composition, not to mention a pretty wicked string part. If this corporate test run is any indication, his Quantum of Solace theme with Alicia Keys should be pretty awesome. I mean, not as good as this Coke Zero ad, but close.

Coca-Cola launches ad featuring Jack White’s Quantum of Solace music [The Guardian]