While listening to the Sonic Station (104.9) on my way to school, I heard Kidd Carson talk about Brad Pitt’s new commercial for Chanel.
A few things are pretty unique about this commercial, and definitely caught my attention as something special. First off, Brad Pitt is Chanel’s first male spokesperson seen in advertisements. This alone is a pretty special point for those familiar with Chanel. Why would they go with a male spokes person instead of continuing their usual trend of using women. Secondly, in the video, Brad Pitt is delivering his monologue in a monotone like voice. He rambles on about philosophical life mysteries, such as “It’s not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on. The world turns, and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are, my luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No.5, inevitable”. The whole commercial shows Brad Pitt simply talking in the fashion mentioned above. In addition to the content and “dreamy” voice, Brad Pitts eyes are seen to be wandering and staring in space through various times during the commercial, trying to give a deep thinking impression. Thirdly, the entire video is in black and white which gives the perfume a prestigious and valuable feeling. Nowadays, most advertisements contain more dramatic effects with different vivid colors and lots of action sequences. This ad really contrasts to these “norms”.
This advertisement has definitely gone viral with the help of the countless parodies that arose from this commercial. Tons of people have made parodies on YouTube, giving this Chanel commercial lots of free airtime. If this was Chanel’s marketing idea, they have definitely succeeded as their commercial has gone viral and tons of people are talking about it. A commercial going viral is usually a good thing, as more consumers will know about this product and there will be more conversation about it. For this Chanel commercial lots of parodies are making fun of Brad Pitt and a lot of parodies are giving people a negative impression of this commercial. These funny parodies will spread quickly through the internet and through word of mouth. This ad has definitely gone viral, but is this the type of marketing that Chanel hoped for?