Coco Madamoiselle Advert Analysis

Coco Mademoiselle Advert Analysis

This glamorous television advert is a commercial for ‘coco mademoiselle’ perfume, which is made by Chanel. The advert is shot in the feature of a short-film, showing a rich and elegant lifestyle. The advert was released over the winter Christmas shopping season, for obvious reasons to suggest a lover or family member to buy this product as a present. The advert has gained extreme recognition, due to the fame of the well-known brand; it’s obviously well-funded budget and the celebrity endorsement of BAFTA-nominated actress Keira Knightly.

Brand Identity:

The companies’ slogan is: "To be the Ultimate House of Luxury, defining style and creating desire, now and forever."                                                                        
The brand identity is one of class, richness, desire and temptation. This can be seen in all aspects of the advert; the actor’s outfits, for example Keira Knightley’s sexy and expensive-looking all-in-one beige motorbike suit, with heels, bike and helmet matching. The setting of the advert seems to be in old-time Italy, a country renowned for fashion & romance. The end of the slogan ‘now and forever’ suggests a sense of timelessness; Chanel has always been a highly regarded brand, and even today as they uphold their styles of tradition and elegance. They have upheld this theme for their whole history of advertising and have a strong sense of brand identity that the target audience can identify with.

Target Market Audience:

The product is aimed towards females, probably of a more mature age, 30-49 years old. I would expect the consumer to be married, and relatively well off. Due to the casting of the advert, I would suggest a white ethnicity. (NRS ABC1) (Y&R ASPRIRER)

The customer will have a relatively well-paid job and a fair amount of disposable income in order to afford the product (can cost up to $100 a bottle). They will have a lot of security and luxury, the reason I say security, specifically economic security, is because very often a woman will wear the same fragrance, perhaps, for life. Therefore she must be able to afford 2-3 bottles per year. 

I would say the person most likely to buy this product on the back of this commercial however is not the consumer herself, but more likely her husband or children. This is due to the airing slot of the advert- over the holiday season. I also appeals to a younger audience, perhaps teenagers or early twenties. This is because of the youthful love affair, something which females of any age dream about.

Structure:

The advert is displayed as a story; it has structure and follows a realist/linear narrative. The female protagonist is depicted as strong, independent and courageous. There is also an element of mystery. The structure is almost like a fairy-tale, with gender roles switched; the courageous woman on a journey to find her lover. This brings a sense of enchantment to the product and the brand alike.

This advert is part of a series of adverts released by Chanel, so it could be considered as a series as opposed to a stand-a-lone. Although the other adverts such as ‘she’s not there’ and ‘The one that I want’ are linked to this commercial in terms of the same actress and style, each advert has its own narrative (although mirroring the ‘strong female’ attribute) and they do not link to each other via a continuing narrative.  

 

 

 

 

Persuasive techniques:

The clear technique used in the commercial is that of celebrity endorsement. Knightley is incredibly well known actress, starring in classics such as ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Many women aspire to be like her, she is beautiful and strong. This use of celebrity endorsement is a key tool to making viewers firstly identify with the ad, and secondly aspire towards buying the product. It is therefore a very effective means of persuasion.

Continuing on from this point, the use of celebrity endorsement also makes the product have a star-studded status, which appeals to the Y&R Aspirer. Furthermore, it builds brand equity and makes it stand out in an overly saturated market.

The ad also uses sex appeal as persuasive technique. There is a sexual tension ringing through the advert from end to finish. The use of two good looking actors with a strong sense of desire and passion makes the customer think the product will enhance their attractiveness and make them more sexually appealing.

 

ASA Rulings:

Complaint Ref: A12-210167: A TV ad, for the perfume Coco Mademoiselle, included scenes that showed the actress Keira Knightley being photographed on a bed. The photographer was shown unzipping her clothes before she undressed herself, showing her shoulders and part of her back. The actress was then shown dressed only in a bed sheet crawling towards the photographer before lying back on the bed. The photographer appeared about to kiss her when she put a finger to his lips and said "lock the door". Clearcast cleared the ad with no scheduling restriction.

Issue: The complainant, who saw the ad during the film Ice Age 2, challenged whether the ad was suitable to be broadcast during a film that was likely to appeal to children, because she believed it was overtly sexual.

BCAP Code: 32.3

Assessment: Upheld- The ASA acknowledged that the undressing in the ad took place in the context of a photo shoot but nevertheless considered those scenes involved sexually suggestive content. We noted that the photographer was directly involved in unzipping the actress's garments and that there was a suggestion that she was naked aside from a bed sheet. We also noted that there was clear sexual tension between the pair and that they appeared about to kiss on the bed. We noted that Ice Age 2 was of particular appeal to children. We considered the ad was suitable for older children, but that the sexually suggestive material was unsuitable for young children. We therefore concluded that the ad was inappropriately scheduled and an ex-kids restriction should have been applied to prevent the ad from being broadcast in or around children's programming.

The ad breached BCAP Code rule 32.3 (Scheduling).

Action:  The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form in or around programmes of particular appeal to children.