As anyone in sales knows, you don't sell a steak, you sell the sizzle. The video would have been created within recent memory of the Summer Of Love, Woodstock, and free-thinking radicals who were protesting one thing or another, acknowledged a growing movement or public psych of the time. It lead to a watered-down version for mainstream folks, kinda like long-ish hair on main-stream men was a tip-of-the-hat to the longhairs & hippies. The war in Vietnam & the draft were causing folks to take a stand, while Abbie Hoffman told folks to, "Turn on, tune in, and drop out." And maybe even drop some acid & trip out. Anti-establishment was a growing movement back then.

The 1970-produced 1971 Pontiac Preview video was for the sale team and was psychologically designed to get into their heads & inspire them. This this preview film was their first glimpse into the about-to-be-released 1971 Pontiac line and they wanted to develop enthusiasm for their "product" as they put it. GM divisions worked at maintaining brand identity & image, while sharing major substructures. Salespeople were to project that image. SELL! All very "corporate".

The "public" are all potential customers to successful salespeople. Get to know the various types and sell to them all.

Today that video preamble seems totally redundant and misunderstood.

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There have also been trippy print ads done by others as well. Ford wasn't as uptight as litigation-sensitive GM execs. The ad below talks about popping pills for relief, or maybe buying a Fairlane instead. A pretty strange association don't you think? I doubt anyone would even touch that today. Disclaimers are the bigger constant now.