If you’ve watched any game this year, you might have witnessed something truly baffling: Mountain Dew’s latest ad, featuring none other than 90s music legend Seal. But not just Seal. Seal as an actual seal. Crooning a rewritten version of Kiss from a Rose—now Kiss from a Lime—while lounging on a rock, serenading a group of people who, let’s be honest, probably have no idea who he is.
Listen, we’re all for nostalgia. We’re also all for unnecessary celebrity cameos that make you question the state of modern advertising. But we have to ask: does the age demographic who even knows who the artist Seal is, actually drink Mountain Dew?
Let’s break this down. If you were old enough to have Kiss from a Rose playing on your Walkman, you’re likely pushing 40 or beyond. You probably spend more time comparing interest rates than selecting which flavor of neon-green, highly-caffeinated sugar water to chug before an all-nighter. And if you are in that age group and still drinking Mountain Dew? Respect. Your pancreas is doing God’s work.
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What exactly was Mountain Dew going for here? Were they trying to create the perfect Venn diagram where Gen Xers, ironic Gen Z memers, and Baja Blast enthusiasts finally overlap? Or did some intern at PepsiCo just say, “You know what would be funny? SEAL. AS A SEAL. SINGING ABOUT LIMES.! Let’s make it happen.” And somehow, no one in the boardroom had the courage to say no.
At least there’s one silver lining: If Mountain Dew can resurrect a 90s icon for absolutely no reason, maybe there’s still hope for a Vanilla Ice halftime show in our lifetime.