The Cat Is Back

            
               Mischief , produced
by Jonathan Shipman of Ogilvy & Mather Inc. for Jaguar.

            Music makes Mischief ,
the Ogilvy & Mather spot that introduces the Jaguar XJ6. Pointedly
abandoning the formulaic, this 30-second spot dispenses with such staples as
the narrative voice, choosing to rely on the soundtrack to present its subject
as polyphonic, versatile.

            "We had to tell a story
about three distinct personalities of this car," says Sherman Foote, creative
director of Big Foote Communications Ltd. The firm, which composed the music
and designed the sound for Mischief , counts BMW, Pepsi, and Ocean Spray
among its clients. This ad was especially challenging. "There is no voice-over,
so the music has to be the emotional voice for each car." The copy is spare,
and distills to a few simple lines: "It has its mother's eyes ... its father's
stature ... and its brother's appetite for mischief." The message is simple,
bound to appeal to high-end car buyers weighing their options: No trade-offs
necessary.

            A female voice, sinuous,
wordless, oddly comforting; the thrum of reverse guitars and synthesizer pads;
and the first set of images: two headlights, then four. Panels aglow; pedigree
unimpeachable. Long-range shots of the classic hood ornament, and of the car in
profile--the stately rhythms hold. Close-ups of the cat, crouched, feral, and
of a glinting hubcap--the beat quickens. Distorted lo-fi drum loops and a blues
guitar, the promise of trouble. This spot isn't about summer picnics in
bee-loud glades. Night has fallen, and Mischief opts for flinty grays
and blacks, the city-slickness and palpable sexuality of Cronenberg's
Crash and Verhoeven's Basic Instinct . Clever camera work tilts
the asphalt, giving the spot some depth and visual interest. And through it
all, the music: rounded plops, stretchy roars, sibilant hisses. As the car zips
away, picking up speed till the tail lights are pinpoints in the distance, a
single line of text reinforces the point. This is a "new breed of Jaguar." You
can smell the leather and feel the sweat: The XJ6 may be a classic, but make no
mistake--it is a beast of the future.

            
               --Robert
Shrum