In the spirit of NPH I call forward the visage of another three letter thesbian.
I’m strolling out of a business meeting in Japan with my colleages when I encounter a strange sight to me…me being the ever astute disciple of obscure Americana. In the lobby of a building of a respectible Japanese business is a vending machine donning the image of one Tommy Lee Jones.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Tommy Lee Jones. But nothing about the man makes me want to buy coffee, tea, Pepsi or Gatorade. And look at the picture. This is not the face of a man that makes you want to appraoch a vending machine. This is the face of a man that is contemplating putting a bullet in his head. “‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more,’ pass the revolver, I’m checking out.” That’s what this vending machine says to me.
I won’t pretend to understand Japanese advertisining. Any Westerner who has been to Japan would certainly agree. It’s the unrebuttable protagonist to Seinfeld’s one liner, “Who’s the Marketing Genius Behind This Ad?!?” And yet a quick Google search proves me wrong. Perhaps the Japanese are on to something…
http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/09/26/10-japanese-coffee-commercials-starring-tommy-lee-jones/