Apparently, GE’s ad people are living in the late 1990’s. I can’t judge them for this since my musical tastes are clinging tenuously to the earlier part of the same decade. However, I do question what they were thinking with their latest ad touting their medical equipment business. And since GE apparently bought all the daytime airtime and has been playing the ad non-stop on news channels, I’ve seen it many, many times, to the point where I can follow along with the script. Which gets creepier every time I watch it.
Seems like someone saw a few random scenes from “The Matrix” and thought Agent Smith looked really cool. So they made an entire ad around Agent Smith wandering around observing how GE medical equipment acts as an “agent of good”. As if it’s not unnerving enough to see the misanthropic villain from the Matrix movies stalking a hospital, they also have him handing a child candy. It’s just…bizarre.
Now, I’m not saying all ads should be boring, but GE has advertised their medical business in a decidedly more heart-tugging, less heart-pounding way in the past. I distinctly remember an ad that showed how medical equipment has changed over time and how doctors used GE equipment to save lives. Maybe they should go back to that version in the future? If not, and they’re looking to pull from more movie villains, I hear the Eye of Sauron is looking for work …