Peter Palmer: Sponsored Video: Genesis Presents “Dog”

So Genesis, the luxury Korean car brand, is rolling out what appears to be a new video ad series not all that dissimilar to what BMW did a while back with its “The Hire” series, only minus Clive Owen and Guy Ritchie and Madonna and such.

This video ad thing, which I am assuming will be the first in a series is simply titled “Dog”, and in a lot of ways, looks and feels at lot like the Madonna/BMW bit I mentioned above. Only in place of Clive Owen and Guy Ritchie and Madonna you get some guy that looks like Clive Owen, sort of, not really, okay, he hasn’t shaved, a director by the name of Wayne McClammy and some random disposable blonde actress.

In the video piece, a nameless yet “somebody” entitled rich beautiful white girl is off to hang with her (assumedly) entitled rich beautiful white friends at an ill-defined yet nominal “stupid party”. Of course she takes her de facto annoying little dog with her. Said dog is little more than a semi-animate mop with eyes and a burning desire to micturate upon the leather swaddled luxury confines of the big(ish) Genesis sedan appointed to scoop up the dog and its mistress and carry them hither to the “stupid party”.

Standing stalwartly athwart the horrid little mutt’s uric requirements and the capacious and comfy rear seating area is our hero: The nameless chauffeur. He has enough attitude, side glances and shade to get his butt fired within seconds of meeting the nameless yet “somebody” entitled rich beautiful white girl (NYSERBWG) if she was not utterly oblivious and operating sans clue.

Anyhoo, any time this little “dog” looks to relieve itself, whether due to the call of nature or because of preternatural hatred towards the Unnamed Chauffeur, the UC, being everso protective of his beloved shiny Genesis, takes a corner or a turn with just enough extra Gs to knock the little quadruped off its feet, saving the day (or at least the interior).

All seems right and good with the world, or at least SoCal where this seems to take place (of course), as the Unnamed Chauffeur drops off his charges at a paparazzi strewn porte-cochere for a final bit of comic comeuppance that I’m sure will just slay’em in Cheboygan.

The whole production has that look of being polished to the Nth-degree as all commercials are. You know they sweated over which fugazi paparazzo would go where for hours, because that’s how commercial directors convince themselves that what they are doing is “art”.

Is the Genesis a car worth taking seriously as a luxury brand? Who knows, who cares? You’re supposed to look at this commercial and laugh. Laugh at the “dog”. Laugh at the stupid rich people. Laugh at the cunning everyman who is the Unnamed Chauffeur, master of his own domain, which just happens to be a surprisingly luxurious yet reasonably priced Genesis.

I didn’t laugh. At all. Partly because I swear every time the camera gets a close up of the “dog’s” eyes I could hear the lines of Friedrich Nietzsche recited, as if from afar: “And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”

But you know, for what you’re paying here, Genesis is a pretty good option. Think of it as an even more affordable Lexus or Acura or Infiniti. Or, if you wish, you could think of Genesis as a very, very affordable BMW or Mercedes (which is what they are hoping for). It’s large enough to be comfortable, loaded with enough comfort and convenience goodies to make you feel like a sultan, and has a pretty good on the road presence.

Anyway, decide for yourself, here’s the video:

Official Genesis website and Youtube channel

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Genesis. All views and opinions expressed here are my own. Check out our advertising guidelines to see why we’d never steer you wrong.