Fiction and Non-Fiction Books by Mark Spivak

America is a media-driven market economy, and we sometimes tend to remember a well-made commercial before even recalling the product it advertises. This is perfectly fine with those who create the commercials, of course, as well as the manufacturers of the products they depict. There just might be as many viewers who watch the Super Bowl for the commercials as there are diehard football fans.

The latest TV ad for Hornitos Tequila, titled “Not Just Any Tequila,” is on its way to the commercial hall of fame. Four guys walk into a bar and order tequila shots. When the bartender asks them if they want a specific brand, they reply: “It doesn’t matter---any tequila.” The ad then morphs into a series of fantasies. The quartet are standing in a barber shop, saying “It doesn’t matter---any haircut,” followed by a shot of four badly butchered mohawks. After saying “It doesn’t matter---any tattoo,” they end up with facial ink depicting butterflies and happy faces. In a travel agency, they say “It doesn’t matter---anyplace,” and ride a bus filled with octogenarians singing, “She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes.” In the final shot, they relent and say: “You know what---make it Hornitos Tequila.” (more…)