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They Really Hit the Spot

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If couch potatoes could swallow the ABC slogan “TV is good,” why not its corollary, “Commercials are good”? Sometimes they are. Thirty- and 60-second spots that indirectly extolled the virtues of Banana Republic suede stuff for men, women and their homes were ubiquitous between the acts of such shows as “Ally McBeal,” “Friends” and “NYPD Blue” in September. Now Banana, as its devotees call the store, is following that inaugural group of television ads with a holiday campaign that began airing Monday and will end Christmas Eve.

The holiday spots, shot in Southern California and directed by fashion photographer Peggy Siroto, begin with the sound of jingling bells. While the voice of up-and-coming trip-hop artist Finley Quaye chants a reggae refrain, “Your love gets sweeter every day,” a montage of kissing couples, hugging kangaroos, smooching babies, amorous apache dancers and pecking ostriches fills the screen. Some of the holiday lovers are wearing Banana Republic sweaters and wool caps, but selling specific products doesn’t seem to be the point.

The effect of the suede spots, which featured Nina Simone singing “Feeling Good,” was to make the viewers feel they’ve been rolling around in the soft, sensuous material. The holiday ads celebrate love and joy. What could be more in the spirit of the season than that?

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