Born to be sold: Mobilizing the Coen brothers' brand of independence and intertextual play for Mercedes in the referential economy.

The article examines the Coen brothers' Mercedes-Benz commercial *Easy Driver*, which pastiches the 1969 film *Easy Rider*, as an example of the blurring between short films and short-form advertisements within a "referential economy" shaped by financialized Hollywood. It analyzes how the commercial leverages the Coens' reputation for intertextual play to evoke themes of counterculture, race, gender, and American patriotism, while ultimately serving commercial and neoliberal imperatives that prioritize consumer choice over critical social engagement. The article situates *Easy Driver* within broader industry practices where auteur directors are hired to create commercials framed as artistic short films to enhance brand prestige. It also critiques the commercial's limited progressive potential, noting how it co-opts diverse identities to expand market appeal without engaging substantively with the counterculture's radical roots.