My Favourite Perfume Commercials

The last course I had was on marketing and we spoke a lot about advertising and commercials in general. It got me quite interested in the subject and I, being the type who has to give her opinion on everything, decided to talk about some of my favourite perfume commercials.

So here goes, in no particular order, my top picks for perfume ads.

At numero un, is Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle ad starring Keira Knightley.

I love how different this one is from the usual, elegant Chanel No 5 commercials. It doesn’t have dialogues like “I’m a daaahncer” or monologues that make no sense yet, because they’re delivered in black and white and someone good looking, make you believe that it’s beautiful and perfect. It is young, sexy, fun and a little rebellious; totally coherent with the concept of Coco Mademoiselle. I love the beige simplicity and I find Keira Knightley to be the perfect face for this perfume “story.”

At numero deux is Egoiste.

Chanel interviewed women and asked them the one word they would use to describe men and the most common reply they got was “Egotistic.” That concept is portrayed really well in this commercial with the women screaming about their rage, despair and betrayal. Not to mention, that’s it is a little bit exaggerated, dramatic and ridiculous, which I love.

At numero trois is L’air du Temps.

I love the fairy tale aspect of this commercial. A light Disney-like story conveyed in less than a minute. The woman, the man, the doves, the setting being sort of like a forest and the flying scarf at the end…just lovely!

Numero quatre is Miss Dior Cherie.

This commercial probably shows what every girl’s dream is. A life full of colour, glamour, fun and to top it off living that life in Paris! It kinda reminds me of one of my favourite movies, Sonam Kapoor’s “Aisha” - the same kind of fashion and lifestyle. And the ending with the girl flying with the balloons and the Eiffel Tower in the background is just perfect!

And finally numero cinq is Dior Homme.

Okay, a little confession. I have no idea what this commercial is about and it leaves me confused every time I watch it. But how can anyone not love something that has Jude Law in it..right? Riight?? *sigh*

What I love about all these and perfume commercials in general is, the capacity to tell a full story in sometimes less than 5 minutes. It’s like a mini-film, it has a plot and characters. Just like the final product itself (a perfume) it captures your attention by targeting your emotions.

  

Idylle!

Everyone has a signature scent. A scent that they love to wear or a scent that they feel defines them.

For me, the three notes that make up my favourite fragrance composition are floral, green and marine notes. I started off liking Pleasures by Estee Lauder. The green floral notes of this perfume are really distinct and it has a freshness that gives a nice petal effect. For the longest time, it was my favourite perfume, until I came to France and smelled something that made me fall in love.

Idylle by Guerlain is my current obsession. I agree it is totally different from Pleasures, but it has some depth, some character that makes me want to wear it over and over again. Idylle, in my opinion, is not completely representative of its family (Chypre Floral). It opens with a soft and subtle scent of rose, that’s not really over powering like Paris by ÝSL. I usually hate fruity notes in a perfume but this has the optimum amount of litchi that makes it sweet, yet not too sickening. The floral notes blended with the musk gives the marine and petal effect that I love in a perfume and the patchouli in the end is the only thing that contributes to the chypre character.

This perfume for me is soft, sophisticated, extremely feminine and moreover romantic – four characteristics that attract the cheesy, sappy and chick flick loving girl in me!