In previous posts, both Will and Julia have brought up the idea of music videos as vessels for shameless advertising. After watching One Direction’s “Best Song Ever,” I’m hardly in a place to disagree. Coming out a month before the release of their much-hyped movie, One Direction makes no attempt to hide that their music video is nothing more than a simple ploy to get people to the theaters. 

The opening scene comedically depicts the boys’ first meeting with Hollywood producers about their upcoming movie, during which the band plays both themselves and the people involved in the film. Now, unless One Direction is planning on becoming a comedy troupe, I can see no other reason for their exaggerated characters and over-the-top Brooklyn accents than to draw in a potential audience for the rest of the video. Surely, seeing some of the world’s hottest teen heartthrobs in a fat-suit, or dressed as a (slightly convincing) woman would appeal even to some who aren’t necessarily fans of the band. Soon, everyone that has watched this opening scene, whether they were interested in the music or not, will be aware that One Direction has a movie coming out. They may not know the specific details, but just the conscious realization that there is, in fact, a One Direction movie, is an adequate start for most advertisers. 

The remainder of the video interweaves clips from the movie and shots of the band members going about their general boyish antics in the producing office. When I say “boyish antics,”  I mean absolutely destroying the office while smiling and looking cute, because the target audience of pre-teen and teenage girls love a an attractive rebel. Who cares about the clean-up job those poor workers will have to undertake later, as long as Harry Styles flashes a swoon-inducing grin at the camera and the rest of the members playfully attack Louis with a poster of themselves. In fact, One Direction has such a strong fan base of adoring teenage girls that anything they do is likely to draw positive hype. 

Unquestionably, even without this music video, faithful One Direction fans would have gone to see the movie at least once, if not more times. However, by acting outlandishly in the beginning to draw in and promote to an even bigger audience, the One Direction movie sales would be sure to increase. Not to mention playing on their allure towards teenage girls, or adding in clips from the movie would only make potential viewers even more excited. And, as the official, “Hit Song of the Summer,” there’s no doubt this video gave the movie the publicity it needed.