The Metro-Centre Comes Alive
Author: Simon Sellars • Jun 27th, 2007 •Category: Ballardosphere, advertising, consumerism, fascism, visual art
© Metro-Centre, 2007.
Something is stirring over at our favourite shopping mall. After lying fallow for almost two months, the official blog of the Metro-Centre shopping centre in Brooklands stirs to life with a rather ominous poster campaign starring the failed talk-show host, David Cruise.
First, we were promised that ‘the wait is almost over’. And now, with a second poster reinventing Cruise as a Godardian neo-noir anti-hero, we are promised that ‘it will begin’…in five days’ time.
Will jaded shoppers respond?
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The funny thing is that even though Kingdom Come came to mind I thought this was actually a real campaign for Newcastle’s Metro Centre and was chuckling at the irony of it all. Ah well!
Ah, well, that’s mission accomplished, I’d say. A good result!
hmmm… I hate to say it, but that’s (a) not the way I imagined david cruise would look (too young), and (b) it’s not really noir art direction… oh well, they might as well carry on with the same visual irrelevancies as shown on the new paperback cover
oh rick, nothing will ever satisfy you! i thought they were terrific; a distinct nod to Ballard’s own personal visual style. they look like stills from a Godard film to me: perfect.
OK, I’ll say it’s “inspired by” rather than “influenced by”… but don’t be too easily amused…. if HC had been smart, they’d have paid JG to write the campaign… then they could have sold the posters, or used them as a website promotion… so many ideas…
rick, i think you, yourself, need to design some billboards…given your ad background, and graphic design interest!