Breaking out of the Box...(literally)

Tapping into our deeply our desire to free ourselves from others' expectations and the desire to be classy, the Bleu de Chanel tv ad really resonates with me at an emotional level, despite the fact that I am probably not a part of their targeted audience.  The ad draws us in by showing some brief glimpses into the past off-camera relationship life of a movie star/model from his own perspective,  which gives us the ability to relate to him as a real person.  In particular, the lingering camera shots on the faces of the actor and a girl from his past in these flashbacks remind me of that initial meeting with someone where you both feel an attraction to the other person but don't yet admit it verbally-- that exciting tension between vulnerability and reservation that everyone has experienced.

These quick flashbacks are on the actor's mind as he is being besieged at a crowded press conference, seemingly 10 microphones in his face and a hundred cameras flashing, and they contrast this present situation where his personal life is all but nonexistent and unimportant to the reporters.  One reporter is condescendingly repeating a question put to the actor, and everyone is impatiently waiting for him to answer it, presumably the way they expect him to.  But the actor is conflicted about whether he should just give them the answer that he is used to giving-- the superstar pop figure answer-- or whether he should be true to who he really is.  To add to the tension, he sees the girl from his past among the reporters nervously waiting for his answer.  Finally he makes up his mind and says, "I'm not going to be the person I'm expected to be anymore," and then strides away from the press conference as the walls of the room fall down.  

For me this ad is all about atmosphere.  I love the use of only black, white, and blue that gives the ad that stylized, sensuous feel of a posh, classy jazz club of classic film noir--the kind of place that you might day dream about walking into with a tailored three-piece suit and a beautiful date on my arm.  My only complaint is that the music isn't a lonely, muted trumpet playing some mellow song, but that would probably make the ad less appealing to most people today.

 The ad has made dreaming this fantasy even easier by providing us a classy guy aspire to be, since we already relate to him personally and we respect him for breaking out metaphorically (and literally) of his box.  Not to mention, he is a good-looking guy who is desired by this beautiful woman.  

You might notice that I haven't mentioned Blue de Chanel yet, but this is simply because the ad doesn't mention its fragrance until the end.  But honestly it doesn't need to because this ad is simply concerned about associating this beautifully drawn-out fantasy of style and class with their product, which it does with flying colors.  

Does this ad make me want to buy their fragrance?  Certainly, but will I go out now and actually do so?  Probably not  because I wouldn't buy any kind of cologne that costs as much as this one most likely costs.  However, if I had money to spend on cologne, I would certainly be more likely to buy Bleu de Chanel, even without having any idea of how it smells because I have this positive association with it.  And because this ad appeals to a timeless fantasy deeply ingrained in the American (male) conscious, I will probably still have a positive impression of  Chanel fragrances years down the line.