GE lets its hair down

You know those dramatically narrated, awe-igniting, epic ads big companies use to impress you. Enhance Your Lighting is nothing like that.

GE’s latest commercial begins, “Question: What does it take to live a life of fame on the big screen, the small screen, even the silkscreen? The answer may surprise you: really good lighting.”

That’s not GE’s usual voice. Actually it’s Jeff Goldblum’s. He’s posing as Terry Quattro, “Famous Person”, wearing a glitzy jacket, no shirt, an extraordinary 70s hairstyle and a lot of fake tan.

“For an embarrassingly small amount of money, you can kiss your horribly-lit, non-successful life goodbye.”

The ad is a parody infomercial that wanders into some really weird corners across its 120 seconds, while it tries to make the case for your spending $14.97 (US) for a GE Link connected LED light bulb.

BBDO New York teamed up with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric of Adult Swim) for the spot, which includes cameo appearances by an “unremarkable nobody” and her “unfamous, non-celebrity husband.”

Given that GE’s last run of ads by BBDO New York has included Childlike Imagination and The Boy Who Beeps, this is left of centre for GE to its outer limits.

But it makes GE approachable. There’s nothing like a joke between friends to break the ice.

Creative Credits:

Agency: BBDO, New York
Chief creative officer, worldwide: David Lubars
Chief creative officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive creative director: Michael Aimette
Associate creative director/art director: Anne Lac
Associate creative director/copywriter: Judd Counsell
Group executive producer: Anthony Nelson