A 1998 commercial for Guerlain Samsara, starring model Katy Braitman.
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That first ad is a doozy. You could write a dissertation about 20th C perfume marketing and Orientalism! I wonder when that was made — we kind of forget about that Gibson-girl type hairdo that was in at some point in the 80s… or 70s? And this ad reminds me of a study I heard of that says listeners switched off soprano vocal music faster than any other (not sure if that’s true).
Pretty sure it was made in 1989 when Samsara launched, maybe 1990. And someone must have written that dissertation, LOL…but it does keep my attention much more than the 2nd ad.
I’m always surprised when I learn that some “classics” have had relatively recent launches. Off to read Angie’s article!
I may have something to do with the phenomenal rate of new launches. After all, since Samsara there have been, what, 10,000 new perfumes, more or less? No wonder it seems so long ago. Oh, and at least half of those 10,000 are fruity florals, so a floriental is going to seem classic by comparison anyway, even if it was launched yesterday.
So true.
Nothing really happens in the second ad. I am not sure what the point is–wear this perfume and you will find yourself wandering alone in the middle of a desert? I much prefer the temple with the exotic draperies and the statue that dispenses drops of perfume.
Have to agree, at least the first one has a story.
Minus the voice the first ad is more interesting. I like the result of that study, I certainly switch off such an assault on my ears.
I’ve never even consciously smelled this. But the Sandalwood makes it a must. Is it very different these days?
Souvenir,
I remember very well when this ad came out.
I loved it.
The two models are very different.
One is sporty and actual, the other one has class and elegance.
I prefer that.
Guerlain was always ” synonyme de la class et de l’elegance.”
The 2nd one, the model looks like she’s in a tank top for part of it — it isn’t a good fit for Samsara.
She looks bored and hot, which no doubt she was. Not a good way to sell anything unless its air conditioning.
I love the music in the second version. I think it was meant to be a continuous loop that played on a TV at the counter level back in the nineties. The first one must’ve been the TV commercial and a still shot from it was the magazine ad at the time of the launch.
For me, the mixture of color and b&w footage in the second clip detracts from the whole; they could have chosen to go with one or the other, but not both. The fluttering silk banners remind me in equal parts of Christo & Jeanne-Claude and Scorcese’s KUNDUN.
The second one isn’t terrible (I’m a sucker for deserts and wind-blown drapery) but the first one just makes me swoon. I even like the soprano opera singer. This is the kind of fantasy that made me want to run out and buy perfume back in the 80s and early 90s. And I was just a teen!