Recent Trend in TV Adverts

[Noldi400]

This is probably just in the US, but has anyone else noticed that images of and/or references to the Apollo missions seem to be cropping up quite a bit in TV commercials lately?  They're mostly used as an example of "Some things are considered impossible until someone decides to do them", or "It's amazing what we can do when we work together".

Anyway, they're used as very positive images, which I think is a Good Thing.  I was just wondering if anyone else had noticed?

[Rob260259]

Yep, a 'Good Thing' indeed! Not much on TV commercials and advertisement about Apollo and those achievements here in The Netherlands however.

[Noldi400]

I'll try to catch some screencaps and post them.

[LunarOrbit]

I've noticed this trend also. I like this one from Omega:

[ipearse]

Very nice.

[Noldi400]

Here's one I've been seeing lately from Valero Energy:

What I really like is that they don't over-emphasize it - it's just casually taken as a part of history. As it should be.

[Peter B]

It's something I've noticed intermittently over a few years here in Australia, though perhaps with a slightly more whimsical slant.

For one, here's a link to the video clip of Shannon Noll's song "Loud":

(Best played with the volume turned up a bit.) For those not familiar with the Australian pop music scene, Noll came to notice as the runner-up in the 2003 debut season of "Australian Idol". The clip contains bits of many famous Saturn V shots (lift-off filmed from the tower, Apollo 8 on the angle with the widespread exhaust flame, the Apollo 6 discarded interstage). But it also includes what appears to be a digitally altered version of the dropped interstage at about 1:28, and the lesser known S-IVB separation footage played backwards.

Another example from a few years ago was Charlie Duke, who filmed an advertisement for the Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD: http://www.thinkermaker.net/mitsubishi-pajero-astronaut.html

More recently was Wild Turkey Bourbon's "Bird Up" ad:

(the men with the Right Stuff appear at 0:28).

And of course, in the last few months has been the Lynx Astronaut competition: http://www.lynxapollo.com.au/

[Andromeda]

Kevin Bacon is in some ads at the moment, for EE, where he appears several times dressed as characters from his films.

I doubt I am the only person who cringes at the "Apollo 13" one because the helmet shape is all wrong!

http://electrictheatre.tv/work/EE-Film.html