My favorite lifestyle advertisement of all time (so far) was from the luxury Italian motor yacht designer Azimut 15 years or so ago. It was an original print ad from a magazine like Showboats International that my best friend cut out, scanned, and emailed to me. I?ve been stalking Azimut?s PR agency for weeks to help to track down an original copy of it. No luck yet but I?ll find it.
Courtesy of Azimut Yachts
Courtesy of Azimut Yachts
For those who don?t frequent the tax-haven luxury yachting circuit in Monte Carlo and Grand Cayman throughout the year (I don?t for the record), Azimut is the Ferrari of mid-sized motor yachts and arguably the finest Italian luxury production boat a multi-millionaire can buy. The entry-level 34? Atlantis picnic boat will set you back just under $400,000 U.S. dollars. The Azimut Grande 100 is more spacious, more luxuriously appointed, and more expensive than most newly renovated Manhattan penthouses. It also typically has better views. Courtesy of Azimut Yachts
Here?s what I vividly recall from Azimut?s ad: It was a full-page spread shot from a helicopter a few hundred feet in the air straight down onto a breathlessly clear, blue ocean that stretched from page edge to edge. Just right of center cutting diagonally lower left to upper right across the page was an Azimut on plane at full throttle leaving a tight wake slowly slicing into the ocean away to the bottom left corner. Across the top of the ad was a simple headline that said (paraphra...