Chanel taps fresh talent as Chance fragrances’ faces

January 10, 2018

Chanel embodies different personalities of Chance. Image credit: Chanel.

French fashion house Chanel is putting a face to the name, embodying variants of the Chance fragrance through young, up-and-coming actresses who evoke each scent’s personality.

Chanel's “Alone in Venice” is a series of short vignettes that feature emerging actresses from around the world to invite women to “take [their] chance.” Viewed only through a small circle reminiscent of the Chance bottle's shape, Chanel's films each take on a personality related to iterations of the Chance fragrance each with a different hue, song, actress and storyline.

“These remarkably creative short films take a look at each women's unique life and their drive to take a chance on anything they want to do,” said Carrie McIlveen, U.S. director of marketing at Metia, Seattle. “It’s empowering and intoxicating to watch.”

Ms. McIlveen is not affiliated with Chanel, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Chanel was reached for comment.

Take your chance
Actresses Angela Yuen, Selah Marley, Belen Chavannes and Lily Newmark are all relatively new to the film industry, but Chanel is already looking to these women to carry its latest campaign.

Director Eva Michon created four films for Chanel, as well as an additional fifth clip that serves as trailer, depicting each girl in her own element. While the storylines and personality films are all drastically different, what they do have in common is that all the women are shown taking a chance.

To represent Chanel’s Chance Eau Tendre, Chinese actress Ms. Yeun is shown taking a chance on love. The song "Baluba shake" by Brunetta plays, as Ms. Yeun is shown sitting next to a young man who is reading a book as she fixes her makeup.

The phrase, "Take your chance” appears, and in a split decision Ms. Yeun grabs the book from his hands and throws it away. The actress places his hand on her knee, beginning a playful banter until they finally share a kiss.

Argentinian actress Ms. Chavanne embodies Chance Eau Fraîche in a film in which she rides her bike through pedestrian areas where bikes are prohibited, wreaking havoc. The film has a green tint and features the song "Laisse tomber les filles" by France Gall.

Chance Eau Vive, represented by British actress Ms. Newmark, is personified in a film shaded orange. Ms. Newmark explores Venice by creating art such as drawings, paintings and photographs as well as playing the piano, while the song "Go to sleep" by Anika is played.

Granddaughter of late musician Bob Marley, Ms. Marley, throws caution to the wind to celebrate the original Chance fragrance to "Bang" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The film, depicted in a yellow hue, features Ms. Marley dancing in the streets, swimming in fountains, tasting food with staff and switching out keys to sneak into a room.

The short film ends with Ms. Marley opening the door, leaving viewers guessing as to what she saw.

Chanel campaigns
Chanel is often creating unique campaigns that span social media and offer various interpretations of products and marketing.

For instance, the fashion house recently boosted awareness for its beauty offerings by creating a dedicated Instagram account.

On Jan. 5, Chanel alerted its Instagram followers that it had launched @Chanel.Beauty in a post that included a short video introduction, titled “Create Yourself,” and the hashtags #CreateYourself, #ChanelBeauty and #ChanelMakeup (see more).

In addition to its support of these young actresses in its Chance campaign, Chanel also recently spotlighted up-and-coming film talents through a new partnership with the César Academy.

Each year, the academy selects emerging stars to be part of its Révélations project, which features these performers in a short film and a photographic series. While this particular partnership is new for Chanel, the house has a history of supporting the cinematic arts (see more).

“[Chanel’s] ads stand out quite clearly on YouTube; with the video within the circle,” Metia’s Ms. McIlveen said. “You feel as if you’re being given a peek inside this playful world.”

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Chanel taps fresh talent as Chance fragrances’ faces

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