Jessica Simpson tunes out ‘destructive noise’ after Pottery Barn ad raises eyebrows
It’s impossible to listen to a Pottery Barn catalog without thinking of a former president.
And if the new holiday ad for the brand’s bath and kitchen products is any indication (and it is), President Obama is also a Pottery Barn devotee.
The ad — featuring a kitchen of white stainless steel cabinets, black marble countertops, and cream-and-black-painted walls that looks like a Pottery Barn catalog — ends with a quote from Mr. Obama, who said it best when he described the new ad this way:
“No amount of technological wizardry is going to prevent a home from going to waste. If there is a broken home, a home that no one wants to live in, a home where no one feels at home, that’s when it really needs to be fixed,” he said in an online video message released earlier this week. “When you have a home that looks and works well, but people don’t enjoy living in it, that’s when you need to be fixing it.”
The ad, created by the New York-based advertising agency Leo Burnett, had been running in the New York papers and has been getting airplay on NPR. But like previous Pottery Barn ads — which generally feature black-and-white photographs of white-carpeted living rooms, with a few images of contemporary kitchens, and a few of the company’s products — it has raised eyebrows. The ad was unveiled in a story on the New York Post, which featured an image of the kitchen under the headline “Pottery Barn’s kitchen looks like something you’d buy in a catalog.” A few other media outlets, including the Associated Press, have also picked up on the story.
But some designers, like Martha Stewart, have slammed the ad as “destructive noise” and compared it to “the worst commercial TV ever made.” A representative from Pottery Barn did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment.
According to a spokesperson for the company, the ad is a reflection of Pottery Barn’s continued need to find new ways to bring its products to market.
“We’re always looking
