Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar

Dan Smith flyer in a Chelsea deli

Jon Stewart Will Teach You Guitar

Guru Pitka Will Teach You Sitar

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar is an ad campaign run in New York City that has resulted in a significant amount of coverage and satire.

Dan Smith, a native of Newton, Massachusetts,^[1] posted ads in the New York City area, consisting of a photo of him with his guitar, the headline "Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar", and a brief description of the experience he offers. Unlike traditional advertisements for guitar lessons, Smith has never included little tear-off attachments containing his contact information at the bottom on any of his advertisements. In 2010, AOL's small business news section covered Smith's success at building up a brand based on his simple, unmistakable message.^[2] He was also covered in a 2005 New York Times article by Laura Longhine, in which Longhine commended Smith's marketing skills and called him "an excellent teacher", but also mentioned that he refused to have discussions with her over the phone or give an interview after her first lesson.^[1]

Parody

Menage a Twang has recorded a song as an homage to Smith called "Dan Smith Will Teach Me Guitar".^[3][4] On the September 20, 2010 episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart showed the audience a bulletin board featuring many of his ads - one of these was a satire that showed a picture of Stewart's head superimposed on Smith's body, that said 'Jon Stewart Will Teach You Guitar'.^[5] The Mike Myers movie The Love Guru featured a similar ad campaign in the New York area, featuring Myers' character, Guru Pitka, posed as Smith. Season 3 Episode 4 of the HBO animated series The Life and Time of Tim included a reference to the campaign in the first segment of the episode, "Super Gay Eduardo".

Parody posters were posted in New York City to promote the release of a John Mayer album in 2006.^[6][7]

References

Notes