Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan is poking fun at her iconic animal cruelty commercials in a new spot for Bolt.
“Every day, 70 percent of all online shopping carts are abandoned at the checkout page,” McLachlan says while images of abandoned shopping carts filled with items show up on screen. “Victims of a cruel and exhausting check-out process.”
Bolt is an app that allows users to complete online purchases with one click.
“Your actions can help give a cart warmth and care,” McLachlan explains, before getting distracted by an abandoned blender.
The spot is a spoof of the two-minute commercials McLachlan made more than 15 years ago for the ASPCA (in Canada, they supported the BCSPCA), backed by her emotional 1997 song “Angel." Her songs, and images of suffering cats and dogs, sparked TV viewers to donate millions. (Bolt said it is donating $100,000 U.S. to the ASPCA.)
In a 2014 interview, McLachlan shared her thoughts about the commercials. "I change the channel. I can't take it," she said. "I can't even look at it, it's just so depressing.
"Do I want to be remembered just for that? Absolutely not."
In 2019, McLachlan spoofed the commercial in a promotional spot for the JUNO Awards and, several years earlier, did a parody version for Audi.
At the end of the Bolt ad, a male voice sings a plea to visit the website. “Come on, we’ve got Sarah f**king McLachlan!”
The commercial was created by Maximum Effort, the digital advertising agency co-founded by McLachlan’s fellow Canadian, Ryan Reynolds. Check it out below: