LexFather

Egads. Just hire an good actor, did it really matter how "dark" or "light" he is?

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...ml?cache=clear

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/18/a...r-in-super-bo/

The ad for the new Acura NSX featuring Jerry Seinfeld was one of the biggest hits of this year's Super Bowl ad parade -- but according to a tipster to TMZ, the company that cast the ad sought a black actor for the role of a dealer by specifying someone "not too dark." Moments ago, Acura issued an apology, saying it was unaware of the restriction.


TMZ says the call sheet for the ad was provided by another actor who was passed over for the role and angered by the casting company's description. In the sheet, the firm says the role of a dealer who tells Seinfeld the first Acura NSX has already been sold should be "nice looking, friendly. Not too dark."

The ad was created by an ad firm called "rp&," a division of the RPA firm that creates ads for Acura's parent Honda. (One might suggest updating their news page, which currently features several angry tweets about the racial choices of its Acura ad).

The real question: Why would the commercial specify a race for any of its minor characters? Outside of Seinfeld, Jay Leno and the Soup ****, there's nothing so dramatically essential in a 60-second spot to require such specificity. Other parts of Hollywood have adopted "non-traditional" casting -- considering the part without regard to an actor's ethnicity -- but advertising has been loathe to give up what it considers a need to target a demographic group, even if their appearance lasts a few seconds.

Since Super Bowl ads represent the zenith of Madison Avenue's creative skills and a multimillion-dollar boon, advocacy groups closely monitor how they use and portray minorities. Last year, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida analyzed all Super Bowl ads and found that of 66 spots that aired, only eight had a non-white actor in the lead role. The report also criticized the diversity behind the camera; of the 58 ads for which it could gather data, all but four were overseen by creative directors who were white men.

In a statement, Acura apologized for the sheet, saying the actor was chosen based on talent, not skin color:

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

LMAO what qualifies as not too dark?

mmarshall

Even aside from the issue of race, which IMO, is irrelevant (I couldn't care less what color the actor's skin color is), what makes them think that a Super Bowl ad will actually sell the NSX? Despite its engineering excellence, few buyers took them up on the old model......and the new one (if and when it is ever released) probably won't do much better, either. In fact, many of the NSX sales to date have been for previously-owned ones.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

They apologized for this and not for designing the stupid beak?

nvslm

Either this or getting sue. Unfortunately we lived in a sue happy world.

IS350jet

Prior NXS sales, like the LF-A, have nothing to do with demand, it's all about supply. They were limited in production numbers from day one.

rogers2

What a stupid company! I won't cast that on the entire company but anyone hands that touch this ad.
It's a million words they could have use but they went with Not too dark. All I can do is shake my head.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

that is pretty bad. for the money professionals should be better than this

mmarshall

Yes, that's true to an extent. But even so, I saw brand-new ones stay in the same showrooms for weeks without people scooping them up.

And, with limited production numbers, IMO, that would make TV ads even more senseless. Why advertise something you aren't going to build in adequate numbers even if the demand were there? That would just p**s-off potential customers.

IS350jet

Like the LF-A, the marketing of the NSX was really more about marketing the brand "Acura". It was 1989, but I don't recall any serious NSX advertising. I've seen LF-A commercials, haven't you? Perhaps, just like in 1989, the LF-A ads are more about what Lexus is capable of, not the automobile, itself. I worked for a Toyota dealer in 1989 that also had an Acura dealer. Every NSX that came through that door for 4 years was a sold unit. This was in San Diego, perhaps geography played a part.

Lil4X

Why is it I'm having visions of casting directors matching up actors with a Pantone chart? "We'd like to see someone that's a PMS 405-ish."

mmarshall

I agree that location may have played a role. The NSX, like some upper-level Audis and Jaguars, was mostly aluminum, and many of the qualified body/repair shops that could handle them were on the two coasts.