Buzz clip: Let there be Jeeps!

Thanks to advertising magic, we've seen dead stars brought back to life. But a new Jeep commercial ups the ante: Instead of using high-tech trickery to play Lazarus, the 60-second spot "Hand" uses

Tuesday, June 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Thanks to advertising magic, we've seen dead stars brought back to life. But a new Jeep commercial ups the ante: Instead of using high-tech trickery to play Lazarus, the 60-second spot "Hand" uses it to play God.

In this latest burst of electronic fireworks, a giant hand creates a wilderness into which, after much musing, it drops a red Jeep like the cosmic cherry on top. So, is Jeep claiming the Almighty as its celebrity spokesperson?

"We are leaving it to each viewer to decide the appropriate way to view that aspect of the commercial," comes the official reply from Diane Jackson, Jeep's senior manager of advertising.

To the slogan "There's Only One," the commercial sweeps viewers into a seamless series of stunning images - shimmering water cascades from grey-ghost hands, giant fingers unfurl as flocks of tiny birds take flight.

The spot acts as a portal dropped into the programming - for just a minute, the NBA Finals suddenly become a spectacle of beauty that could as easily be exhibited at an art museum.

"It's a brand commercial," she says. "The purpose of the spot is to communicate Jeep's core adjectives. One is authenticity. Jeep is the original, it created the SUV market, like the origin of the species, getting back to where it all started.

"The other adjective is mastery," Ms. Jackson continues. "You see this hand developing his kingdom. And what's important is that the Jeep fits in with the birds and the lions, it's harmonious with nature."

As for the human-made tricks behind the cosmic creations, they are the result of overlaying separately shot images to make eye-defying composite scenes. If you haven't seen its one-minute magic show yet, don't worry.

"We're going to be using this spot for a while," Ms. Jackson says. "The message, the visuals - 'Hand' has legs."

Amen.