You probably have seen it by now, but in case you haven’t, Chanel has a new commercial for its popular Chanel No. 5 fragrance. The ad features a black-and-white Brad Pitt standing alone in an empty room with weird wallpaper, blathering on about journeys and luck and fate and other non sequiturs.
Honestly, if it weren’t for an image of the golden perfume posted against a backdrop of the Earth’s atmosphere, it would be difficult to discern what Mr. Pitt is selling. His super-deep-sounding monologue could reference a woman with whom he’s in love, or it could be a college freshman’s submission to the on-campus poetry publication. The commercial has already been lampooned in various YouTube videos, as well as “Saturday Night Live“.
This new advertisement has drawn a lot of both criticism and praise from the media and public. The critiques typically take issue with the bizarre absurdity of the ad, the existential monologue or the fact that Chanel is using a man to sell women’s perfume. On the flip side, some people hail the commercial as artistic, bold and avant-garde. The ad’s defenders also bring up the all-important point that women frequently wear perfume to impress men, and if Brad Pitt is impressed, well then…
Whether or not you believe Chanel is effectively marketing to women by having Brad Pitt sell its perfume, you’ve got to say it has done a masterful job of getting some free publicity. After all, even though some may view the ad as silly, it’s not something that will damage the brand. In fact, all the buzz this commercial is generating is great for Chanel. After all, how many times had you heard people talk about Chanel No. 5 prior to this ad?
It’s hard to argue that all the hullabaloo is going to be a net gain for Chanel in the long run.
What do you think of the ad? Will this help or hurt Chanel’s sales?
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