I Can't Stop Watching This Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Ad

This ad is a month old, but I just caught it on TV recently and now I have to watch it on YouTube daily. Why am I suddenly compelled to buy a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?

It's not often you hear the opening verse of Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do For Love" in the middle of the night on CNN, which is what happened to me when I first saw this commercial. This song is what makes the commercial. And it's the last song you'd expect to hear in a car ad.

Growing up and still living in a city with four (formerly five) R&B stations and a smooth jazz station, "What You Won't Do For Love" is one of those songs that's inescapable but never gets old. (Or maybe you know it better as the foundation of Tupac's "Do For Love.") Still, now every time I hear this song, I'll think Mitsubishi. And that's not a bad thing.

It's risky for any company to use a beloved R&B song in ads, especially since everything either leans heavily on classic rock or, nowadays, techno and dubstep. And unlike some commercials, it actually tries to sell the car a little bit by showing what it can do — the panoramic moonroof, nav system, and push start might be common and lame, but the average crossover shopper can visibly see that it's all available.

So kudos to Mitsubishi for trying. They seem to be having fun with what little they have, so they've got my attention now.