Coors Lite Joins Lincoln Using Bike Messenger Motif

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Where's The Dirt, Dude?

Our intrepid NYC informant, ex-bike messenger and publisher, Bucky Turco, points us to another ad campaign that has latched onto bike messenger street cred. Just a short time ago, Lincoln used real bike messenger's names without permission to promote their SUV. This time, Coors Lite has used bike messenger imagery on a large, lower Manhattan billboard. The billboard shows the messenger riding along, scraping ice off the billboard.

Turco tells us the ad looks OK until you look more closely and, if you know anything about bike messengers, things are a bit off. "At least they didn't make the mistake Lincoln made by actually trying to co-opt real bike messengers. It seems Coors was content with a softer, safer, and extremely unrealistic looking courier. Kudos to the art director for adding the dirt patterns on the messenger bag, too bad they missed the clothes and fingernails."

While most of us might not notice these details, to a bike messenger, they seem to be important. Turco was a bit put off by the way the messenger in the ad was portrayed saying, "...what self respecting bike messenger rides through the city without a lock and chain around his waist? Don't worry we won't get into the fingerless gloves, goofy helmet, and J-crew like model."

Ouch. Additional images here and here.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 6-05   Click to Comment   
Topic: Outdoor   

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Comments



Comments

Who desgns these things?
How can you not notice that most messengers don't have brakes on their bikes anymore? Do these people live in a cave?

Posted by: k on June 30, 2005 12:00 PM

Oh please, you messengers who the fuck you think you all are anyway. You all are not rock stars, but act like one. Messengers come in all forms, dirty, clean, punk looking and bummy, hip hop, or just plain t shirts and jeans. Get a life and shut the fuck up already, and all it is just a job

Posted by: ???? on July 9, 2005 4:45 PM

Oh please, you messengers who the fuck you think you all are anyway. You all are not rock stars, but act like one. Messengers come in all forms, dirty, clean, punk looking and bummy, hip hop, or just plain t shirts and jeans. Get a life and shut the fuck up already, and all it is just a job.

Posted by: guess who on July 9, 2005 4:49 PM

Hey... I don't ride fixed, and I wear a goofy helmet and fingerless gloves.

Posted by: CourierGuy on September 27, 2005 2:00 AM

I ride in the city daily and think the messengers who actually work and dont get caught up in the 'clique' and club-like rhetoric of the whole thing are great.

But so many posers just want the look. You want the fix and your castro hats then think you have street cred - get off.

Everyone out there riding is different and I respect all out there with me - but those who look down upon others who dont fit thier image are a joke.

Posted by: Cycleogical on January 8, 2006 2:38 PM