Samsung’s offbeat washing machine ad puts viewers in a spin

Debuting recently for viewers in the U.K., the mesmerizing ad features a washing machine doing its thing for a full 200 seconds in what the company proudly describes as “a soulful ballet of technology in motion.”

According to Samsung, it’s “the longest single-shot commercial ever screened in the U.K.,” and filled an entire ad break when it aired last week. Its main purpose is to highlight the company’s QuickDrive washer technology, which claims to cut laundry time in half and reduce energy usage by up to 20 percent.

It’s not an exciting ad, nor is it trying to be — the most dramatic moment comes when a red sock is added to the wash — but there are snippets of information to enjoy as the washer goes through its cycle.

For example, Samsung’s research found that Brits spend a total of 88,904 minutes (1,481 hours; 61 days) of their lives watching their washing spin around. That kind of commitment sounds like it could comfortably qualify as a “hobby,” though we don’t recall ever meeting anyone who mentioned “staring at my washing machine” as one of their pastimes.

The South Korean tech company points out that in that time — equivalent to a couple of months — you could reach grade 5 with an instrument, or become fluent in a foreign language. Or even drive around the world. Twice.

Mark Seaman, head of domestic appliances at Samsung U.K. & Ireland, described the company’s QuickDrive machine as “the fastest and smartest Samsung washing machine ever made,” adding that its commercial “shines a spotlight on the ‘performance’ of the machine itself to create a mesmerizing spectacle where art meets technology.”

The QuickDrive washer, which is currently only available in Europe, also includes Samsung’s AddWash feature introduced in 2016, that lets you add items of clothing mid-cycle. That’s how the red sock makes its cameo appearance in the ad. If you’d like to judge whether its performance should be worthy of Academy Award consideration but you’ve got better things to do than stare at a washer going through the motions, zip straight to the 1:20 mark in the video above for the sock moment.

Samsung says #LifesTooShort to spend it watching a washer doing its thing, but if you get that much pleasure out of it, perhaps a QuickDrive machine isn’t the answer. After all, if it goes twice as fast, you’ll only have half the fun.