It’s not even the Super Bowl yet, and I’ve seen a commercial that I can’t get out of my head. I speak of the recent Audi commercial featuring former Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, here’s the basic set-up: An angry chef threatens to fire one of his employees after he makes a mistake. Jackson, known for the “zen” philosophies he used in his coaching, strolls by calmly and says to the chef, “I’ve found that anger is the enemy of instruction.” (Lesson one – as a music teacher, I’ve already gotten a lot of mileage from this one.) The chef says, “You don’t know the egos I have to deal with.” (Lesson two: no matter how bad your problems may seem, someone else has it worse and is dealing with it.) Jackson knowingly says, “You’re probably right.” (Three: never enter a battle of wits with someone who’s unarmed). As he makes his exit, the chef says, “Thank you…whoever you are.” (Four: you never know when Phil Jackson might enter your restaurant, so act as if it could happen at any time.)
Now, was the commercial successful in its ultimate goal of selling me a car and not just imparting life lessons? Well, as a music teacher, it’s unlikely I’ll be buying an Audi any time in the near future, but should this or any of my other blogs take off and make me rich, I just might swing by the local dealership for a test drive.
No matter what happens, this commercial still beats the hell out of that annoying one for Lexus.