The Sheraton Hawaii ad pitch that even Don Draper couldn’t pull off
Skift Take
The AMC series “Mad Men” has always had a soft spot for travel.
The kick-off to the sixth season begins at a resort in Hawaii, where protagonist Don Draper is again trying to figure himself out, this time assisted by his wife Megan. While in Hawaii, Don encounters a solider who he bonds with and then begins thinking morbid thoughts about his own veteran years.
Later in the episode, this soul-searching culminates in a rather un-Draper-like performance before clients from Sheraton Hotels. Thinking of his own experience, Don pitches Hawaii as a place for transformation taken to the extreme. It’s not just a place to find yourself, or come up with a better plan: The creative for the pitch has an empty suit laying on the beach like a chalk drawing of a murdered man.
Needless to say, Sheraton doesn’t go for it.
Read more: “Mad Men’s travel advertisements: Inspiring the jet-set era” [Slideshow]
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