British rock band Status Quo have already set the bar in the standards for selling out, and now Coles shoppers can rejoice in the news that the British rockers are at it again.
The rock veterans recently flew to Australia to film a new ad for Coles, which will be used in the lead up to the supermarkets’ Christmas campaign, and potentially increase public interest in the bands 2013 Australian tour, which comes courtesy of the supermarket chain and will see the band performing their recently re-worked version of ‘Down, Down’
According to News Ltd, the details of the ad have been kept under lock and key, with a shoot taking place at secret rural Victorian location this week. The new commercial will feature another reworked version of one of the group’s hits.
As previously reported, Coles will also exclusively sell the band’s new studio album, appropriately titled Quid Pro Quo in stores across the country, with the hope to bring in some much needed funds for the group.
The rockers admitted to News Ltd having no issue with selling their songs through supermarket shelves, but said they are prepared to wear the backlash for changing their lyrics for TV ads.
Singer/guitarist Francis Rossi led the defence, saying “there are no record shops anymore. You put your album in a supermarket and you know it’s in every Coles in the country. As much as people like to think it’s prostitution or denigrating music, the alternative is to disappear.”
The new deal with Coles has been (obviously) criticised as cash-grab, but Rossi and his bandmates say it’s a much needed financial boost for the band in ensuring its survival. “People ask us ‘Are they doing Coles ads for their pensions? Do they need the money?’ Yes. Everyone works for their pension,” the guitarist added.
The frontman also said “to be displayed in the front of Coles, rather than being in a rack down the back of some music shop, you couldn’t buy that. Some fans in England were going ‘God, What will they do next?’ but we’re keeping ourselves alive. We’re not Coldplay, we’ve been around a long while.”
“Why are Sting, McCartney and the Stones still out there doing it?” questioned rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, adding: “It’s not necessarily because they love it. But everybody loves to earn money.”
Speaking of the backlash over changing the lyrics to their seventies hit, ‘Down Down’ to market the joys of supermarket savings (choice lyric: “Down, down, prices are down/When you need a helping hand/ Count on the savings of that Coles big red hand”); Rossi has said: “It could have been ‘Five Sausages’ or ‘Two For One’.”
“It was ‘Prices Are down’,” he adds, “which is better than knickers are down. We agreed to do it, and we did it. It so happens it was rather good and it’s funny and it’s taken off. The bigger something is, the bigger the negatives are, and we accept that,” Rossi remarked.
The new campaign will be a follow up to the original ‘Down Down’ three-minute commercial, featuring cringe-worthy video of the keyboard player and drummer playing while wearing a foam pair of Coles’ distinctive big red hands, while the guitarists played instruments fashioned from the supermarket chain’s pointy marketing.
Fans of the Brits also have the Coles-backed, up-and-coming Australian tour to look forward to, which will kick off in March next year.
A press release for the supermarket-promoted tour quotes Simon McDowell, Coles Group Director of Marketing, saying : “Our customers love the original ‘Down Down’ and we have got Status Quo to thank for coming up with such a catchy riff.”
Later adding, “while we take our business very seriously – the tour will be a bit of fun and what better way to celebrate ‘Down Down’ and the famous Coles Big Red Hand, than by experiencing it live.”
No word as yet as to whether the Big Red Hand Guitars that featured in the first commercial will make a reappearance in the new ad campaign for Coles Christmas period, but one thing is certain; you can probably count on another embarrassing installment from a band who just won’t stay “Down Down.”
Status Quo 2012 Australian Tour Dates
Wednesday 27th March 27 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
www.ticketek.com.au Box Office: 132 849
Thursday March 28 – Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane
www.ticketek.com.au Box Office: 132 849
Tuesday 2nd April – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
www.venuetix.com.au Box Office: 08 8225 8888
Wednesday 3rd April – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
www.ticketmaster.com.au Box Office: 136 100
