The iconography of getting what you want
Lewis Hamilton appears in a classic film recreation ahead of his Ferrari F1 debut
‘Please, Please, Please Let me Get What I Want’ was the B-side of a 1984 single release by British band The Smiths.
The track was remade several times, notably by another British band - The Dream Academy - in 1985
In 1986, this version was used in iconic US film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a teen comedy about a group of friends trying to navigate the early stages of their lives.
During one scene the film’s three central characters appear together on screen as the song’s refrain, ‘So for once in my life, let me get what I want’ plays in the background.
The Hollywood movie is perhaps most famously remembered for the segment in which the three friends park a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder (a car even more iconic than the film).
Having done so, car park attendants take the car and go joyriding across Chicago in it.
Fast forward forty years: this famous scene has just been recreated by new Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (yet another icon) who appears in this version as the joy rider.
This helps to mark the British driver recently signing for the team and his impending debut season.
The iconography of Hamilton’s social media savvy content is important, especially because of the marketing value his presence in its F1 team will add to Ferrari’s brand.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off was a late Boomer / early GenZ favourite, at a time when the career and financial aspirations of a generation spurned the term Yuppies (young upwardly-mobile professional).
Many of those who were fans of the film then are now in their fifties, and some of them have got what they wanted - they are rich enough to own a Ferrari.
This nevertheless poses a problem for the Italian car brand, which has been seeking to target younger audiences rather than just serving the world’s grey markets.
Hamilton should be able to assist in this regard given his image and reputation, and associations - with the likes of Kim Kardashian and Pharrell Williams.
Rather than being a heritage brand, Hamilton and Ferris Bueller may help to usher in a mid-21st century era of new ‘Ferrari cool’.
Hamilton was born in the mid-80’s just before the film was released and has clearly got what he has wanted, claiming that it has always been his ambition to drive for the Italian team.
His Ferris Bueller Instagram post concludes with the quote:
“For all the kids out there who dream the impossible.”
This sentiment will no doubt help in strengthening Ferrari’s position as every racer’s dream and as many people’s aspiration.