Hilary Duff’s new video is one big long ad for Tinder
By Nick Bond
Have we reached a tipping point when it comes to advertising in music videos?
For years now, we’ve watched as videos been infiltrated with an ever-increasing array of artfully placed products. We all know the drill by now: We get a shiny, expensive-looking new video from Britney/Katy/Gaga et al, and in return, the camera lingers for just a few seconds too long on a phone, speaker, perfume or camera – the manufacturer of which has likely bankrolled the whole affair.
Just yesterday, Britney debuted the video for her new single Pretty Girls – a video in which the music drops out for a good 45 seconds so she and collaborator Iggy Azalea can attempt an ill-advised skit flogging Samsung smartphones.
Now, less than 24 hours later, has Hilary Duff just stolen Britney’s thunder as the queen of product placement? Duff today premiered the video for her awesome new Tove Lo-penned single Sparks, and it’s essentially a four-minute advertisement for dating app Tinder, with occasional incidental music. Check it out:
We have so many questions here. Is Hilary Duff REALLY on Tinder? Were any of the dates in the video real? And could we possibly get a Tinder-free edit, because there’s actually a really cool video hiding in there?
Still: cracking pop song, Hilary. Duff’s new album Breathe In. Breathe Out. – her first since 2007’s Dignity – is out next month:
