Errol Morris' AIG ad was ahead of its time

I just stumbled across this AIG commercial by visionary director Errol Morris. I have no idea when (or if) it ran, although one YouTube commenter mentions working on the campaign about six years ago. What’s incredible is that, thanks to AIG’s spectacular collapse due to overly risky practices, this video now comes across as a defensive screed along the lines of Jack Nicholson’s  “We follow orders or people die” monologue in A Few Good Men. “If nobody takes chances, if nobody pushes the boundaries … nothing great happens,” the voice-over declares. “Bold achievements call for bold acts.” And apparently, bold acts sometimes go on to call for bold bailouts.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on July 6, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under AIG, Errol Morris, Griner

AIG's 'strength' tagline turns to punch line

With the U.S. government scrounging $85 billion from the couch cushions to save insurance and investment giant AIG, it's hard not to laugh at ads featuring the company's tagline, "The strength to be there." The TV spots, in rotation since 2007, feature kids chastising their parents for entrusting their future to things like corporate pensions, when they could apparently (and unwittingly) be dumping their life savings into subprime mortgages over at AIG. Check out three of the ads over on Consumerist. (Wall Street Fighter has a bunch as well.) Maybe it's not too late for AIG to hitch itself to a new tagline for its bright new future. If they hurry, maybe they can beat Jim Cramer to trademarking the phrase, "We're all communists now."

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under AIG, Griner, Insurance