Israel’s Kobi Marimi has poked fun at his 23rd placed finish at the Eurovision Grand Final in Tel Aviv by appearing in a recent commercial for Bank HaPoalim.
Kobi Marimi appeared in a commercial released last week for one of Israel’s largest banks, Bank Hapoalim. But rather than your standard acting fare, Marimi pokes fun at his placing at this years Eurovision Song Contest hosted in his native Israel.
Marimi was far from one of the favourites going into the contest but after coming 23rd at the Grand Final with only 35 points, it’s fair to say that Marimi would have been disappointed with his placing on his home turf.
However, rather than licking his wounds Marimi has instead made light of his 23rd place finish and shown that – as much as some of us hate to admit – Eurovision isn’t everything.
Poking fun at 23rd place
The commercial is entirely in Hebrew, and sadly has no option to add subtitles , but The Jerusalem Post have handily translated it for keen readers.
The video clip starts with an older Marimi appearing on a yacht, asking “Do you remember me? Yes, yes, 2019,” with a cut to his Eurovision performance of ‘Home’.
“Kobi Marimi,” he continues, as he takes a cocktail from a passing waiter. “You must be thinking, ‘How could someone who got to 23rd place – and instead of a limousine went home on a scooter – manage to have such a beautiful lifestyle when he retired?’”
He pauses to take off his robe and jump into a pool. “I didn’t make the same mistake again,” he continues, as he pets a horse. “I didn’t take the first song, excuse me, the first pension that they offered me,” a reference to those who criticised his song ‘Home’.
“Instead, I got pension advice at Bank Hapoalim, and we picked the pension track that was best suited to me,” he says, as he chases a child. A sly reference to Marlon Brando’s last scene in The Godfather.
Standing next to a white grand piano, he tells his accompanist: “And I have only one thing to tell them.” The scene shifts to a Eurovision-like stage as the still elderly Marimi sobs, “Thank you”. An almost carbon copy of his emotional thank you at the end of his performance of ‘Home’ at the Grand Final.
To perform the year after Netta and ‘Toy’ was always going to be a tough act to follow, but Marimi and the advert go far to show that there is indeed life after Eurovision.
Israel confirmed for Eurovision 2020
As we reported in late-May, Israel will once again take to the Eurovision stage with KAN confirming their participation in 2020.
Although the Rising Star (HaKokhav HaBa) format will remain for selecting the artist, the song will be instead selected through a separate show. The new song selection show will feature three-to-five songs, with a public vote determining which will be taken to the contest by the winner of Rising Star. This is similar to the format of Finland’s UMK.
Like many hosts nations who place poorly the year after winning the contest, Israel and KAN will no doubt be hoping to ‘pull a Sweden’ and win the contest again soon after hosting.
