Unfinished Business, Vince Vaughn’s David-versus-Goliath comedy about an entrepreneur’s boardroom struggles, opens this Friday. The trailer looks fair-to-middling, and much of the humor seems to be mined from corporate clichés, the most desperate of which are those conveyed by stock photography. Enter Adweek, which presents a collection of Unfinished Business-themed stock photos that feature stars Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, and Dave Franco Photoshopped into classic business vignettes.
The boardroom deciders giddily cheering. The energized team crowding around a conspicuously brand-free laptop. The earnest young executive, presenting an upward-trending chart. Go-getters, on the go, getting it done with laughably out-of-date mobile phones. Spend a few minutes Googling “business stock photos,” and you’ll discover a whole new, sad, weirdly cyan-toned world of pantsuits, handshakes, and light-draped office space.
Of course, marketing synergy doesn’t happen in a bubble. While Unfinished Business gives a top-notch presentation, points have to be awarded to iStock, which is smartly able to skewer its own collections while building brand recognition. Adweek also deserves kudos for breaking this advertising story; collectively, it’s a trifecta of marketing on par with Don Draper pitching AMC to Time Warner Cable.
Sadly, this collection is free for editorial use only, so please don’t blame us if you put a scowling Tom Wilkinson into your company’s next data sheet and get fired. Adweek has the full series online now; high-res versions are also being incrementally released by iStock.