On this week’s episode of “Mad Men,” a sleazebaall Jaguar dealer used his leverage in the voting process to weasel his way into spending a night with Joan. It was an amazing episode with a bunch of moving parts, but it also left many feeling like they just got punched in the gut (or kicked in the head by a horse, if callbacks are your thing). Well the people at Jaguar watched it too, and they want you to know they do not condone strong-arming advertising agencies into having their busty, redheaded office managers come over to trade flesh for business. Like, not even a little bit.
“I’m a big fan of the show and it was gratifying to see our brand portrayed,” Mr. Pryor told AdAge.com. Then he added, laughing, “I would say we were fairly surprised at the turn of events.”
Mr. Pryor said Jaguar had no control over the script and that he, like everybody else, saw the latest episode when it aired Sunday night. He said that “Mad Men” researchers only reached out to Jaguar’s archivist to ask questions about the advertising in the 1960s and what a typical dealership and showroom might look like.
“Obviously it was kind of tainted … with the storyline,” said Mr. Pryor, formerly the chief marketing officer at Porsche North America. “We would agree with Don’s position that the best creative should win, not something that was less than above-board. At the end of the day, though, we’re confident that people know it’s a fictional character.” [Ad Age]
That all seems pretty reasonable, so I’d just like to take this opportunity to say that I hope someone hits Pete Campbell in the head with a cinder block.
