The Media & Marketing section of today's Wall Street Journal (10/05) had
an interesting question from a reader then a reply from their Advertising
correspondent.  Paul Koning of New Boston, NH wrote:

   Toyota has been running TV ads for an SUV.  The classical music
   has been a nice touch, but it's from Verdi's "Requiem", a mass
   for the dead.  I suspect only a few of the audience will spot
   this, but won't those few be dismayed?

The WSJ correspondent (unnamed) replied:

   Bravo!  You sir have a very keen ear.  The Giuseppe Verdi musical
   masterpiece is full of drama and soaring melodies, and was
   intended to infuse an ad for Toyota's Highlander SUV with human
   emotion, says a spokesman.  In the ad, which was created by
   Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchie, and debuted on cable,
   network and spot TV Sept.29, a woman is seen outdoors with two
   young girls.  As it starts to rain, they pick up their stuff and
   run toward their Highlander.  In another scene, a man puts an
   infant into the the vehicle.  The car is depicted as a place to
   keep people safe and out of harm's way.  Alas...the song is over
   - at least for Toyota.  "It's a classic composition, and it was
   selected for its highly dramatic tone" says Xavier Dominicis,
   the Toyota spokesman.  "As it turns out, it didn't resonate well
   with some viewers, and the ad has been pulled".  The last day
   you might have seen this spot - or heard the music playing on
   its behalf - was October 26th.  We will have to wait to see what
   Toyota does for an encore.

I don't recall seeing the spot, and if I did, I habitually use the
mute button during commercials, so I wouldn't have heard it.  From the
description, it might have been the slam-bang "Te Deum" section, which
doesn't seem all that compatible with the irenic scenes described.  But
I know the Verdi "Requiem" has popped up in other ads historically and
will again, not to mention Orff's "Carmina Burana", which also is a
favorite of commercial makers.

Laurence Glavin