Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Cinco de Mayo, Chanel-Style

Every now and then, a genius marketing campaign hits you when you least expect it.  Like on a holiday that people celebrate merrily with tacos, margaritas, and cacarachas (or if you were at work like me, you read about other eople's  festivities on Twitter... sigh).  Today, Cinco de Mayo for those of you who missed it, Chanel partnered with Saks Fifth Avenue to promote and honor its signature perfume, Chanel No. 5.

Large Chanel flags decorated and lined the side of building, window displays boasted scenes with both size bottles of the fragrance, and whimsical street signs re-dubbed sections of the avenue as "Avenue Chanel No. 5".  Along with the eye candy, Chanel gave away free deluxe samples of the scent, and also unveiled its just-for-Chanel short film, Train de Nuit, starring Amelie actress Audrey Tautou (love!)


(photo credit to Racked)

I'm impressed by this fling of creativity - come on, it's PERFECT: Saks Fifth, on Fifth Avenue + Chanel No. 5 + May 5th. I love when things just work, and this idea and partnership meshed beautifully on so many levels. I also applaud the use of different medium in the execution: the visual displays both above and at ground level, the commercial teasers that got people wondering about what Chanel had up its sleeve, and the samples of the perfume to link the scent with the experience of the day.

More about the perfume, it was purposefully created to be made up of synthetic notes, that is, unnatural scents as opposed to its floral counterparts. This is the reason why upon first encounters, many would describe it as on the strong and heavier side. The rich composition includes ylang ylang, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli, and iris.

I don't personally use the perfume - I prefer lighter scents for now, but appreciate the timelessness of the fragrance, an extention of the classic yet modern appeal of the brand itself. Well done, Chanel, excelente.

no-5

2 comments:

  1. Chanel can do no wrong in my eyes and this concept is amazing! It was definitely a great way to call attention to a beloved brand and stand out!

    I've been meaning to pick up Coco Mademoiselle for an everyday scent. It's light and simple (with cute packaging), but still has the classic Chanel aura.

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  2. Jane Chanel (aka CJ)March 4, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    I wear Coco Mademoislle since I was in Middle School! A beautiful scent. Which I still wear today. But I would love to have a free mini bottle of No.5! I am thinking about buying a all of the mini main perfumes in this little package I saw at thier counter (No.5, Allure, 19, CocoM, and I think 22?) They were super cute! But I would mostlikley just want to display them. But I was listining to a Chanel beauty podcast and they said that they created Chanel No. 5 oh premier. For the girl who loves the idea of No.5 but thinks it's a little too old. Which I think they made for me!

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