In “Set,” Crown Royal tells the tale of an old jazz cat who passes opportunity to a young, wise-eyed trumpet player on the street. It’s our favourite kind of trope: one about rebirth, and how the American dream can pass from one hand to the next.
And while Crown Royal is only seen briefly in the spot — moving across the frame on a waiter’s tray — it ends with an elegant kick-back to the label: “For every king, an heir. For every king, a crown. Crown Royal.”
I quite liked it, but a hoodied kid peering over my shoulder walked by and went, “Ugh, is that a liquor ad? What do they gotta use jazz for? That makes no sense at all.”
Dude made a good point, but that’s the magic of advertising. What did Cognac Monnet have to do with beautiful flappers? What does Bud Light have to do with Clydesdales? When the sentiment matches the brand’s personality, it doesn’t matter how irrelevant the storytelling device is. People are moved; their impression of Crown Royal, in this case, is enriched.
By Grey/NYC.
