Mikhail Gorbachev Shills For Louis Vuitton
July 26, 2007
Louis Vuitton is attempting to highlight its heritage as a luxury travel brand in a campaign dubbed “The Art Of Travel.” The last president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, is joining famous faces such as Andre Agassi and Catherine Deneuve in a new print ad campaign for luxury bag maker Louis Vuitton. Shot by Annie Leibovitz sitting in the back of a taxi, with his Vuitton bag next to him, the ad is hauntingly dark, gorgeous. Gorbi looks uncomfortable, but we like that. We’re not against Louis Vuitton using a venerable head of state in their campaign, but the man who took the sickle and hammer through the Cold War should not look relaxed in a shot for one of the most elite brands in the world. His notable anxiety helps the brand in fact. The shot looks straight out of 1988 when tension was high and Ronald Reagan was king. That’s heritage for you.
According to the Times, other spots include Catherine Denevue sitting atop a LV trunk, as well as Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf cuddling in a hotel room, their bags not yet unpacked. What we don’t understand is the inclusion of these last two. They’re cute and all, but when you think of class, austerity and do you think of them? Maybe, but it would have made more sense, been much cooler to have used iconic soccer star Pele who naturally represents grace and a legacy to millions of people world wide. Anyway, along with these ads appearing in September books, look out for three short films highlighting customers of the brand throughout histroy including the first super model Twiggy. Sadly, the site is in flash, which drives us nuts, because you just can’t link to content. So to watch the videos head here and click on “The Art Of Travel.” So annoying. Yet, the vids are good - high brow, while reeking of sophistication and rich history.
July 26, 2007 at 6:11 pm
So, did they turn that purple “thingy” on Mikhail’s forehead into a fucking LV logo… Now that “Viral!”
Cheers/George
July 26, 2007 at 9:11 pm
agree about Andre/Stef. andre has “shilled” for so many brands his image is a washed out and Stef is not glamorous at all. pele would have been a natural fit.
July 27, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I like the ad though (Andre/Steffi). Makes sense to me.
http://img02.picoodle.com/img/img02/9/7/27/f_LVGrafsmallm_19750f6.gif
July 27, 2007 at 8:19 pm
[...] where people have been quoted as saying a watch isn’t a watch unless it costs $100,000. read more | digg [...]
July 28, 2007 at 12:19 am
Interesting campaign…it will definitely catch people off guard seeing Gorbachev as they flip through Vogue.
August 1, 2007 at 4:14 pm
[...] Leibovitz is all over advertising these days. First the Louis Vuitton ads featuring Mikhail Gorbachev and now, the latest campaign for The Gap. She’s done some work with them before, but [...]
August 7, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Here’s a guy who single handedly ended the cold war (Ronnie really had no say about it, the USSR was having problems way before Reagan was in power)
So it is a nice tribute to the guy who should have gotten at least a thank you for stopping the nuclear arms madness.
August 20, 2007 at 4:08 pm
[...] Mikhail Gorbachev Shills For LV Posted by superspy Filed in Brands, [...]
April 10, 2008 at 7:16 am
[...] years in office came with many players on both sides including list makers: Francois Mitterrand, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ian Gow and Ronald Reagan. The advertising industry has also been included due to the natural and [...]