Let's face it. Perfume ads seem to compete on a regular basis to see who can come up with the most bizarre commercials. This latest ad/content film by Spike Jonze for Kenzo may be the winner. It is not just bizarre; it's captivating. On one level, you'll be wondering what the heck is going on and where is this going. Yet, on a raw human emotional level you'll find yourself relating to the premise – stuck in a boring situation you just want to break out of and go a little berserk.
It features a socialite young woman at some charity gala where the speaker is droning on in a blah-blah way that almost becomes the way adult voices are handled in Peanuts cartoons – but with less character. Not able to take it any more, she excuses herself and leaves the room. After taking a deep breath a driving, primal beat of music starts. Her face starts contorting to the music and suddenly she begins this complex, weird dance through the empty arts center. It's very strange and very compelling. You can't look away. In the end, she dives through a giant eye made of flowers – which turns out to be part of the perfume brand logo. I can't do it justice by describing it, you'll just have to watch it.
KENZO WORLD from Heidi Bivens on Vimeo.
Thanks to Laurel in our accounting dept for the suggestion. If you have an ad you'd like to nominate for ad of the week, suggest it in the comments or drop me a note.
Mike McClure – wondering if we're dancers or are we human?
