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Brad!, part the second

Posted by Robin on 17 October 2012 37 Comments

Ok, so there's a part two. And maybe more? But here is Brad again, saying the same things as before — the world turns and we turn with it! — with new visuals. For Chanel No. 5, in case you haven't been paying attention.

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: chanel, video

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37 Comments

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  1. Rappleyea says:
    17 October 2012 at 11:03 am

    Taking a mini-break in a day gone totally berserk!

    I haven’t watched Part 2 yet, but yesterday morning on the Today Show, their panel of “experts” – Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Star Jones, and Donnie Deutsch discussed the Chanel ad. The consensus was that they loved it! Deutsch owns a major advertising agency so his opinion carried weight. I was surprised that he gave it such high praise.

    I was tempted to email them to say, “Yeah, but perfumistas hated it!” ;-)

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 11:16 am

      But it wasn’t just perfumistas who hated it…it’s been widely ridiculed in the press. There is already a small but growing body of parodies on YouTube. Conan showed it straight up, to general audience laughter.

      Some people feel it was worth the 7 mill just to get the publicity, but I don’t think it is “good” for Chanel to have potential consumers laughing at their latest ad on Conan.

      I can’t help but wonder if part 2 was hastily thrown together after the fact? We’ll never know.

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      • Rappleyea says:
        17 October 2012 at 1:39 pm

        No, I agree – any publicity *isn’t* good publicity, especially in a luxury brand when it cost $7 mil. I haven’t seen the parodies. I’ll have to look for them!

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      • AnnS says:
        17 October 2012 at 3:16 pm

        Robin: what you said there about the second ad just being thrown together was exactly what I was thinking as I watched it. I can imagine a frantic all-nighter to get something out quickly. Just enough of the Brad part to not turn their backs on a bad choice, but it was too “clippy”, though, better than the first one. At least it had some style.

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      • 50_Roses says:
        17 October 2012 at 8:25 pm

        I agree that not all publicity is good. Yes, you may remember a particularly bad or ridiculous commercial, but that doesn’t mean you will buy the product. There have been times I consciously chose not to buy a product because I intensely disliked an ad campaign.

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  2. Ayala says:
    17 October 2012 at 12:01 pm

    The BP commercial needs no parody – it already is!

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 12:31 pm

      Some truth in that! But it’s easy to parody, so it will get parodied :-)

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  3. Kelly Red says:
    17 October 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Actually one of the funniest was last night on “Chelsey Handler”. They showed the ad and then couldn’t decide if it was serious. Basically it was one long discussion of WHF is it selling?

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 12:32 pm

      Will see if I can find it on YouTube, thanks!

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      • Omega says:
        17 October 2012 at 1:54 pm

        Some are up on Basenotes front page..good laughs!

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  4. chrisskins says:
    17 October 2012 at 12:37 pm

    If we don’t find out if ad no.# was thrown together after the fact, we have a possible Chanelgate on ours hands.

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 12:43 pm

      What I find suspicious is that these almost seem like random outtakes from other commercials. But I don’t watch enough commercials to recognize them.

      Also, would have thought that if they were doing a “real” part two, they wouldn’t have used the exact same wording.

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  5. Merlin says:
    17 October 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Thats one huge improvement. And the words don’t sound as stupid with the changing visuals to pick up the slack.

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 1:46 pm

      I agree — better than the original. But to me, still not very good.

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      • Merlin says:
        17 October 2012 at 2:19 pm

        Yeah, kind of went from laughable to mediocre.

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  6. peter says:
    17 October 2012 at 1:46 pm

    If the Gucci Premiere TV ad and Calvin Klein Obsession TV ads had a kid it would be this (awful) ad.

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    • ChocolatEyes613 says:
      17 October 2012 at 2:09 pm

      Hahaha…. so true! You hit it right on the head, and deserve a cookie :)

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  7. Omega says:
    17 October 2012 at 1:51 pm

    The parodies are better imo, lol.

    There has been some ideas of people submitting their own video on perfume sites and having a No.5 perfume giveaway..I think it’s a great idea. Get a husband or friend to do it..I am sure there will be much better videos!

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  8. Omega says:
    17 October 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Btw I liked the interview with a vampire parody. I am a vampire..LOL

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  9. Merlin says:
    17 October 2012 at 2:17 pm

    The Conan parody is great!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-EIjcOBCA

    Could people paste the links in if they see other good ones?

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    • Robin says:
      17 October 2012 at 2:33 pm

      This one was Kevin’s favorite: simple but it works.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaENzYS_qo

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      • AnnS says:
        17 October 2012 at 3:19 pm

        That is very funny! Poor chanel.

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      • Omega says:
        17 October 2012 at 4:35 pm

        Omgosh!!!!!! HAHAHAHA! I laughed SO loud! Love the fly at the end! LOL

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      • Lea says:
        17 October 2012 at 5:34 pm

        Thank you, you made my day!!!

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      • Dilana says:
        17 October 2012 at 5:50 pm

        Reminds me of a famous experiment by a Russian pioneer of cinema (Directed Potemkin, whose crucial scenes were shamelessy ripped off in the film version of the Untouchables).
        This Director filmed a few actors with various facial expressions, wide eyed, looking down etc. Then he spliced very different shots in between. The audience then interperted the same exact close up of the actors as looking horrifed, depressed happy, depending on whether the spliced shot was of a person being killed, a cute baby etc. In other words, the exact same facial shot was seen as having entirely different meaning depending on what the audience believed the actor was reacting to.
        So, if the director told Brad, “just look to the side as if you are remembering something, breathe deep, look down” those close ups either look like nonsensical ramblings, or the very logical reaction of an actor afraid of getting bitten by an aggressive fly while trying to deliver some bizzare lines with a straight face.

        So

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    • Merlin says:
      18 October 2012 at 2:00 am

      Good one!

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  10. AnnS says:
    17 October 2012 at 3:21 pm

    This second ad is better, though not much. What I don’t get about this either, in using Brad Pitt, why they make the ad so grey and sad? He is a “golden boy”, Chanel always uses that stylized golden aura in their ads. I think all of us are thinking of a hundred different ways they could have done it.

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    • Dilana says:
      17 October 2012 at 5:56 pm

      I think Channel always planned to release version no. 2. (The model is shot from a distance and has the same coloring and figure as Jolie). Some genuis at the advertizing agency probably thought it would be fun to stir up some early publicity and controversy by releasing the “Brad” section separately first.
      I supposed it worked, since the mediocre completed ad is better but forgettable.

      Doesn’t Brad have an agent, who is supposed to keep from looking unintentionally ridiculous?

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  11. VanMorrisonFan says:
    17 October 2012 at 6:05 pm

    It’s a shame the Old Spice man is contractually obligated to another fragrance firm. I think he could make a much better advertisement for Channel. These Channel fragrance commercials are too pretentious…they need a little whimsy…

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  12. chrisskins says:
    17 October 2012 at 6:06 pm

    I love the fly!

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  13. nonnanina says:
    17 October 2012 at 7:56 pm

    Help us!!! The Pitt advert is ridiculous, dopey, over-acted, and a shame to the Chanel brand. I don’t know what the advertising agency was thinking when they came up with this dud. It makes me sick and I change channels when ever it appears. Bleeechhhhh!!!!!

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  14. Jessica says:
    17 October 2012 at 8:55 pm

    I rather liked this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMscWPr–XI

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  15. nozknoz says:
    17 October 2012 at 9:46 pm

    It’s that last “Inevitable” that really pushes me over the edge. If the dialogue had had something decent for the last line, it could have been bearable. That vacillating lighting and the lack of music also made it the first one creepy. You’ll notice they added music to the second one.

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  16. mutzi says:
    18 October 2012 at 12:29 am

    Now, this is a good fragrance ad:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TioGP9mWahA&feature=player_detailpage

    Someone posted this at MUA.

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  17. moore says:
    19 October 2012 at 12:44 am

    Mademoiselle Chanel may be clapping her hands wherever she is!

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  18. austenfan says:
    19 October 2012 at 2:50 pm

    It’s even inspired a Dutch parody, created by a local channel. Apparently the speaker normally announces the weather.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdYBHYmGsWU

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  19. Sujaan says:
    20 October 2012 at 5:27 pm

    I can’t wait to search out the parodies! These ads have me so puzzled. I like Brad Pitt. I think he’s an honorable man who tries to do good with his celebrity. I’m shocked he OK’d this copy. I feel bad for him…well, almost.

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