Brad Pitt appears in an advertisement for fragrance
by Luxury.Net
Would you like to have the essence which Hollywood Star Brad Pitt also wears? Then Chanel No. 5 should be your choice. The world has been divided just for an advertisement. A Chanel No. 5 ad featuring a scruffy Brad Pitt riffing on the meaning of timelessness has divided the globe. Is it simply pretentious? Or is it a bold departure for the French luxury-goods maker? We have to wait a bit for the perfect answer. Industry consultants are all over the map. Most agree on one point, though: boosting awareness of the women’s fragrance – - especially among guys with an appreciation for Pitt’s fiancee, Angelina Jolie — probably will spur holiday sales of Chanel SAS’s best-known product.
The black-and-white commercial has made its debut this month and gone viral soon with more than 4.64 million views on YouTube. U.S. television show Saturday Night Live last weekend broadcast a spoof in which an actor sporting Pitt’s long hair and goatee mimics the ad to tout the Dorito-shell tacos sold by Yum! Brands Inc.’s (YUM) Taco Bell chain.
Jane Kellock, who is the acting managing editor of product and design at researcher Stylus in London, has commented that the campaign “taps into a whole other consumer for whom Chanel No. 5 wouldn’t necessarily be front of mind.” She also said, the fragrance is “something that women know about and men don’t.”She also added that most women won’t be alienated by the ad because Pitt is handsome, even if using the celebrity is “a bit gimmicky.” If we look from the business perspective, fourth-quarter marketing is crucial for luxury goods makers as they seek to lure shoppers in the biggest selling period of the year. Fragrances are an important gift item for department stores from Macy’s Inc. (M) to Le Bon Marché in Paris, a retail segment that’s heavily dependent on November and December sales.
