In the ad, Pitt says, “It’s not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on. The world turns, and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are, my luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No.5, inevitable …”
According to Women’s Wear Daily, out of a total ad campaign budget of $10 million, Pitt’s pay was $7 million.
There has been a spate of conflicting reviews about the ad, but none could ignore it. US Weekly’s Zach Johnson termed the ad as “sensual” while Time magazine’s Erik Hayden called it “nonsensical.” Amy Fine Collins of Vanity Fair seemed more on the mark when she opined that the choice to cast Pitt as spokesperson suggested Chanel “subtly circling back to its gender-twisting origins.”
In a statement from Chanel, which since being launched in 1921, has never had a male face as brand spokesperson, Pitt said, “N°5 has always been the most iconic women’s fragrance ….That’s what I see being the appeal of this campaign; it goes beyond the abstract of emotion or beauty to evoke what is timeless: a woman’s spirit.”
With this debut, Brad Pitt joins the likes of Audrey Tatou, Nicole Kidman, and Catherine Deneuve. After all, it was long time due – there are few males who wouldn’t like to be associated with the only thing Marilyn Monroe wore when going to bed.
The ad has drawn mixed reviews on the Internet, with the responses mostly being positive, while some did think the ad to be strange.