Advertisements for the Citroën DS3 are all over France, especially over the airwaves in the evening.

Citroën has two spots. Both show a talking celebrity before the “anti-retro” tagline and visuals of the automobile. One spot features John Lennon, the other shows Marilyn Monroe.

There’s been lots of press coverage on the use of the celebrities’ likeness, but three other points caught my attention:

  • The audio track doesn’t match the visuals. I first wondered whether this was just a dubbing problem. (In France, the spots are in English, with French subtitles.) But I couldn’t imagine Monroe saying “you should create your own icons” –people didn’t talk like that 50 years ago– and the footage of Lennon, talking about “nostalgia for the ’60s and ’70s”, looks as though it predates 1970. The spoken words turn out to be a pure fiction, paired with real visuals. I’m not comfortable with putting words in people’s mouths.
  • If the anti-retro tagline has a meaning, it’s lost on me. Monroe and Lennon are figures from the past. The Citroën DS3 looks, to my eyes, much like the Mini, a classic car.
  • Monroe and Lennon both died unfortunate deaths, at a young(ish) age. I know this and can’t help but think of it whenever I see Monroe or Lennon. It’s a sad and serious thought. It does not make me want to go out and buy or look at a new car.