Ari Murray Profile picture
Dec 22 14 tweets 6 min read
Over the past few days, I set out to answer a burning question that I've had for years:

Why are perfume ads so weird?

It's a pretty wild story 🧵
Advertisers grapple with one fundamental problem when trying to sell perfume:

You can't actually communicate the smell or the qualities of a specific perfume in a TV/print ad.

So, fragrance commercials have to rely on something completely different.

✨Vibes✨
A fragrance doesn't technically *do* anything.

So, instead of showcasing the product, advertisers create commercials to evoke specific emotions.

In fact, the parts of the brain that deal with emotion, memory, and motivation all grew out of the olfactory cortex.
That's why we develop core memories and deep emotional connections alongside specific smells.

So what do advertisers do when they want to use that brain-nose connection to sell you a new product?

They emphasize the emotional power of scent as it relates to sex.
After all, sex sells, right?

But it's a delicate balance. The commercials try to imply that the fragrance will make you more sexually attractive. That's why many of these ads show:

- Beautiful people
- Revealing clothing
- Beautiful settings
- Heavy eyelids and slow blinking
According to ad industry veteran @jweltman, there's actually a specific reason for the blinking.

In a pizza commercial, the "moneyshot" is that classic cheese pull. It serves as a visual metaphor for the taste and feel of the pizza.

Fragrance commercials have a similar moment.
In fragrance commercials, the equivalent "moneyshot" is heavy eyelids and slow blinking.

It's this industry's visual metaphor for satisfaction.

That's what helps communicate the experience of using a particular fragrance.
This is a formula that has worked consistently for years.

In fact, the strategy is so effective that several other companies have used it for other products with use cases that are hard to communicate.

5 Gum used it with their not-so-subtly-named "How it feels to chew 5 Gum".
So, if these fragrance commercials just follow the same playbook over and over again, who's breaking the mold?

One of my favorites is an ad by Prada, directed by Wes Anderson and starring Léa Seydoux.

It's a series of perfume ads that all follow a single storyline.
That's right, it tells an ACTUAL story.

In it, Candy is the beautiful protagonist who's being pursued by best friends, Gene and Julius.

Even though the two men are constantly fighting for her adoration, neither man gives up the pursuit.
The series of ads tells a story of romance, seduction, and competition.

Candy is portrayed as the perfect woman, whose charm and joie de vivre captivate the men.

But in the end, Candy is seen leaving the salon, victorious, with BOTH men on her arm.
The Prada ad reassures us of the one thing we all secretly hope to be true:

That you really can have your cake AND eat it, too.

But only with the help of a little Prada Candy perfume 😉
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More from @arihappywick

Dec 5
10 years ago, Chipotle ran their first nationally-televised commercial during the 2012 Grammy Awards.

It was so successful, it increased the restaurant chain's revenue by over 23% 🤯

This is the story of the greatest restaurant ad in history... Image
In the early 90s, Steve Ells was working as a chef at a high end restaurant in Denver, CO.

After years in fine dining, Steve had a vision for a new kind of restaurant concept.

He wanted to start a Mexican fast food chain using high-quality, sustainably-sourced ingredients. Image
So in 1993, at 27 years old, he started Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Over time, the concept became VERY popular. By 1998, they had 14 locations. By 2006, they had 500 locations.

Still, there was one thing they couldn't seem to overcome:

People assumed that fast food = low quality. ImageImage
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Nov 21
The most prestigious luxury brands in the world can agree on one thing:

“Money talks, but wealth whispers.”

Let me explain... Image
Money that "talks" is loud. It's often new. It wants to declares its presence even before it enters a room.

Money that "talks" often buys the brands that do the same thing — Products with a trademark design or logo that can be seen from across the room at Nobu. ImageImage
Wealth, on the other hand, is silent and subtle.

Wealth buys brands that are both a product and a work of art.

And, like any good work of art, the brand's signature appears as a subtle design choice — Something that elicits a compliment from the maître d' at Le Bernadin. ImageImage
Read 16 tweets
Nov 14
Cartier is worn by celebrities.

But Van Cleef & Arpels is worn by royalty.

Let me introduce you to the world's oldest invite-only jewelry brand.
The company was started by the joining of two families:

The Van Cleefs - Diamond dealers
The Arpels - Precious gemstone dealers

Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels married in Paris, France in 1895.

One year later, the two families started their joint venture.
As diamond and gemstone dealers, both families were quickly successful with their new jewelry business.

For the first several years, they were able to generate consistent sales while building a name for themselves amongst the jewelers of Paris.

But everything changed in 1906.
Read 18 tweets
Oct 29
A beautiful woman arrives to Paris for the first time from South America.

She meets a dashing, Moroccan-born Frenchman. They fall in love and start a boutique together in Paris.

But this ISN'T a RomCom.

It's the story one of the greatest luxury brand you've never heard of... Image
The man and woman are Prosper and Martine Assouline.

The name of the boutique is Assouline.

And, Mr. and Mrs. Assouline set out to build the world's first luxury brand all about culture.

BUT, they had the idea for the company years before. Image
Prosper was inspired to start Assouline while running a luxury creative agency in the late 80s.

At the time, clothing and shoes became an important status symbol of America’s masters of the universe.

It was the era of Louboutin, Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Image
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Oct 1
The name’s Birkin. Jane Birkin.

On a fated flight 40 years ago, a fashion icon (our girl, Jane Birkin) and a Hermès brand executive had an idea.

A bag. Big enough for the everyday. Expensive enough to not be for everyone.

This is the story of Hermès and the Birkin bag:
Jane Birkin is an actress, singer, and style ICON who was known for carrying a small wicker basket EVERYWHERE instead of using a bag or purse.

And in 1984, Jane found herself struggling to jam that unrealistic basket into the overhead bin on a flight from Paris to London.
When she finally sat down, Jane turned to the stranger next to her and mentioned that it was impossible to find a weekend bag that was stylish AND convenient.

The stranger smiled and introduced himself as Jean-Louis Dumas, the Executive Chairman of Hermès!!
Read 14 tweets
Sep 24
Pedialyte went from a medical formula treating severe dehydration to a wildly popular hangover cure.

It was all thanks to a SICK marketing strategy.

And... a lil Hailey Bieber and Miley Cyrus for good measure.

Here is the story:
The @pedialyte formula was created in the 1960s based on rehydration therapies used by the World Health Organization in the '40s.

The recipe was originally designed as a cheap treatment for dehydration from sickness or gastrointestinal problems caused by viruses and bacteria.
For decades, it was marketed as a medical product to help rehydrate young children with the stomach flu, gastroenteritis, or even after a long day out in the sun.

But, in 2015, executives noticed something.
Read 16 tweets

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