KENZO | MY MUTANT BRAIN | 2017
A Perfume Ad Where a Woman Shoots Laser Beams / KENZO "MY MUTANT BRAIN"
In this perfume commercial, a woman shoots laser beams out of her hands. And somehow it won a Titanium Lion at Cannes. Perfume ads finally broke.
The problem
Perfume ads used to follow a strict formula: a glamorous setting, classical music, the product name whispered at the end. Johnny Depp for Dior, Margot Robbie for Calvin Klein — they all had the same tone. KENZO's first fragrance, "KENZO World," started by smashing that tired formula.
The insight
Spike Jonze wasn't going for elegant or sexy. He was after a feeling of being "wild and completely in the moment." He was convinced that doing the opposite of the usual passive female image would hit home. That's why neither the product nor the brand name shows up until the very end.
The idea
Margaret Qualley escapes a boring dinner party and dances wildly down a mirrored hallway. She pounds her chest, rolls her eyes back, does backflips and high kicks. The choreography is by Ryan Heffington, known for Sia's "Chandelier." The crowning touch: laser beams shooting from her fingertips, with visual effects by Digital Domain. The music, "Mutant Brain," is by Sam Spiegel, Spike Jonze's brother. For four minutes, there's no mention of perfume at all.
What happened
The video became a viral hit with over 10 million views and was named one of AdWeek's best ads of 2016. It won 11 awards, including a Cannes Titanium Lion along with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Lions.
Afterthought
No product shown, no brand name spoken — and yet everyone remembers "KENZO World." The dance was so liberated, so joyful, that it made you want to feel that way too. Without saying a word, it told you that wearing this perfume isn't about elegance — it's about freedom. I kind of want to shoot laser beams now.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2017
