• by Todd Wasserman , February 27, 2022

It’s not often a TV commercial makes you think about the future, but this ad from Criteo does.

The spot, via Technology Humans and Taste, starts with a woman in a coffee shop who is about to click something on her phone. “Wait!” says what looks like the same woman, only wearing a silver suit.  “I’m you, 20 years in the future.”

Just then, another version of the woman, now dressed like she’s a character from “Mad Max,” interrupts. “Don’t listen to her,” she says. “I’m you from even further in the future.” Then a representation encased in a bubble interrupts again. “I’m you, 400 years in the future,” she says. Soon others pop up from the future until a voiceover states that “everyone will try to tell you what the future holds. Criteo is creating an open Internet where you can choose what’s best for you.”

Then the many faces of the future vanish and the barista tells the woman her coffee order is ready.

For the uninitiated, Criteo is an advertising company that sells banner ads on a cost-per-click basis.