Speaking of commercials people love to hate, a new advertisement from Nissan’s luxury division, INFINITI, has been making the rounds on Reddit’s r/CommercialsIHate subreddit… for good reason.
The commercial, entitled “A Beautiful Mess,” features the same dark, sleek city aesthetics we are accustomed to seeing in luxury car commercials, but with a bit of a twist.
This twist is apparent as the music begins to swell with a piss-poor rendition of Richard Strauss’ tone poem “Also sprach Zarathustra,” which was popularized by the scene showing the beginning of the Paleolithic Era in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 epic science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
As the horns sputter off-key, we see that the SUV is surrounded by a band of children, which explains the less-than-masterful approach to the iconic song.
The new 2022 INFINITI QX60 luxury SUV has been receiving backlash for its selfish and insulting commercial (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
In the driver’s seat sits a beautiful, put-together brunette woman who focuses her rear-view mirror on a young girl playing the violin.
The woman then slowly rolls up the windows of the INFINITI QX60, which almost completely deadens the din from the young band, and closes her eyes peacefully as she reclines her seat.
While Brie Larson is the brand ambassador for Nissan, the Tanner Hall actress doesn’t appear in this commercial.
The INFINITI QX60 commercial shows a brunette woman rolling up her window so she doesn’t hear the kids’ rendition of Richard Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra” (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
In the next scene, the car drives through the city and pans the woman smiling at the young violinist, who now sits in the backseat — the girl was the driver’s daughter!
Finally, we hear the endnotes of “Also sprach Zarathrustra” now played with perfect precision, as a narrator then says, “Introducing the new INFINITI QX60. Take on life in style.”
The woman is then revealed to be the mother of one of the violinists (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
Though the INFINITI QX60 has a price tag starting at around $47,000, people online seem to be more put off by the commercial than the cost.
Many note that “A Beautiful Mess” is not the right way to advertise your car, as it depicts a mother who cares more about her own comfort than supporting her daughter during an important moment — her big band recital!
“Anyone seen this spot where the mom is inexplicably parked in the middle of a middle-school music recital?” one user posted on Reddit.
“Just her, nobody else present, and because the hard-working musicians sound lousy, she powers up the window (in a most dismissive way) to drown them out. Like, I get the point, but good job making the mom seem like a giant a**hole.”
Viewers despise the commercial as it seems to disrespect music and music education (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
“I really despise this commercial,” one commenter replied, showing support for band kids everywhere.
“It is disrespectful to the music, music education, and anyone watching it. It appears to be an orchestra, not a band. Kids are holding instruments incorrectly, bad horn embouchure. Just insulting on every level.”
In another Reddit post, one user asked, “Who else is already tired of the children’s orchestra?”
“Advertisers with annoying kids of their own seem determined to subject the rest of us to the same pain,” one user replied. Another responded, “This commercial is destroying my will to live faster than Liberty Mutual.”
Other commenters are saying that the commercial is insulting and making fun of beginner musicians (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
As expected, the YouTube comments aren’t much better. Here are a few:
“Key takeaway: Infiniti is the car for selfish, intolerant people. Great branding, folks.”
“As a beginning band director and professional musician, this is immensely insulting. Beginning musicians get made fun of enough as it is, this is just uncalled for.”
“As a music educator of 38 years and a FORMER Infiniti owner, I am extremely disappointed that their marketing team would stoop so low to insult the millions of students and educators that work and strive towards excellence. Shame on you Infiniti!! This commercial confirms that I will always be a FORMER Infiniti owner!!”
The all new INFINITI QX60 SUV has a price tag starting at around $47,000 (Credit: INFINITI USA / YouTube)
That being said, there are a few commenters who think the commercial is hilarious. What are your thoughts?