What is going on in these fragrance commercials?

Cafe Society
1

Whenever one of these is shown on TV I practically laugh out loud:

Exhibit 1: Natalie Portman displays unstable, and I daresay, psychotic behavior?

Exhibit 2: Kristen Stewart (Twilight fame) wraps herself in toilet paper and is smashed thru a window?

Exhibit 3. Julia Roberts, while behaving with some dignity and appearing classy, appears to alter the course of a party?

Exhibit 4: So us guys don’t feel left out, why is Johnny Depp racing out to the desert, digging a hole, and throwing his jewelry in?

What, exactly, is going on in these commercials? And why are nearly all fragrance commercial so dramatic and stylized?

Got any others you would care to interpret?

2

Here’s an attempt at an explanation. Basically,

  • there’s no product to show or do something with, so they have to rely on imagery
  • the imagery of perfume is sex, sex, sex, so lots of shots of women in various states of undress and flirtatious, passion-filled looks and heavy eyelids
  • originally, surreal imagery had to be used to suggest sex without being to racy. As standards became more lenient, advertisers could get away with more direct imagery, but the weird stuff still remains
  • focus groups showed women liked the dream of “breaking free”, so the ads often show the woman running away from a man or busting through walls
  • it’s a crowded market, and people expect fragrance ads to be weird, so the way to get noticed is to be even weirder and more nonsensical than the other ads

Side note: the Natalie Portman ad is certainly stupid, but what behavior do you find unstable and psychotic? :confused:

3

As for other great ads, the best has to be Margaret Qualley dancing in the KENZO World fragrance ad. It was directed by Spike Jonze and was an intentional joke about the usual fragrance ads.

4

Obligatory “Pretension” by Fry and Laurie parody ad link.

5

I guess the yelling, throwing things, and jumping off the pier fully-clothed are a turn-off for me. A woman portrayed like that is probably high-maintenance as well (I am not saying Natalie is).

6

The ad isn’t trying to sell that you can “obtain” Natalie Portman (like an Axe ad would), but that you can “be” Natalie Portman and live the crazy celebrity lifestyle.

7

I like to think of the one with Natalie Portman as the “What would you do for love, asshole?” ad.

8

Complicit.

9

Canis, Cologne for dogs

10

Moisture is the essence of wetness.

11

Compulsion by Calvin Kleen

12

“The Devil Made Me Do It!”

13

Poocharé Dog Food

14

One second, she’s laughing and in love. The next second, she’s screaming on a bus. Then, she’s rolling in the sheets. Then, she’s jumping off a pier.

The quick jumping back and forth between happy, sexy, crazy, angry, etc. is what seems unstable. If they showed a progression of a relationship, it wouldn’t seem so unstable. But this jumping back and forth is what seems unstable.

I get that it’s a commercial and it’s compressed for time and they’re just trying to evoke an emotion… but why do they feel the need to evoke every emotion?

15

We hope this helps.

16

If you smell good, a guy will chase you to the ends of the earth? (or at least down the beach a ways)

17

Johnny Depp throwing jewelry into a hole in the desert means “this perfume is so good, I have no need for sparkly things.”

18

I think you’ve got it! “Our perfume evokes every emotion. Go wild.”