I was in the train the other day when I saw this advertisement for the Epic Burger restaurant in Chicago. It is a fast-food restaurant that serves burgers like McDonald’s or Burger King, but they try to give an image of having a little bit more quality. The photo called my attention, because, for those who don’t know it, the two hands are part of the original Michelangelo’s painting The Creation Of Adam. It is located in the sistine chapel, and it was completed my the painter in 1511.
At first I didn’t know wether to be scared or amused. I can’t deny it is a different way of doing marketing. Most commercials nowadays are dumb, rather disappointing and not funny at all – even though they use talking potholes, burger holders, or Dorito goat eaters-. I suppose the person who came up with the idea of this commercial had a little more creativity. However, The Creation Of Adam is one of the most majestic and famous paintings ever painted. And my question is: Is it disrespectful bringing this great piece of art down to the level of simply trying to sell a fattening burger?
On the other hand, it is kind of funny. But again, sadly a lot of people don’t know what this painting is and where it comes from, so what is the point of doing this? Did they really think they would really get more customers by mocking Michelangelo’s piece of art?
We are used to media trying to call our attention everywhere we go, any second of the day. This photo put up in one of the CTA trains of Chicago might make me a little dissapointed at a personal level with what media is capable of to call somebodies attention (Even though we have all seen innumerable examples of this). The thing is that it did catch my eye, however, it caught my eye for a different reason than it was suppossed to. It was not the burguer, but the “painting” what called my attention. I am sure it has called the attention of a lot of other people. So technically the company got what they wanted, being thought of.
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