16 Memorable Perfume Ads From The Past
Fragrance ads have long occupied a unique space in advertising history. Unlike a moisturizer, a car or even a package of cookies, advertising a perfume cannot be based on the product’s benefits, capabilities or effectiveness. Here’s a list of sixteen perfume campaigns that became cultural touchstones for their daring, beauty, or pure audacity.
Chanel No. 5 with Nicole Kidman
The CHANEL No 5 advertising film from 2004 gave me serious chills when I first saw it. Starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Lurman, it truly is a film. The three-minute commercial told an entire romantic story against New York’s luminous skyline. Kidman running around in a beaded pink gown wasn’t just advertising. It was a cinema.
Calvin Klein Obsession with Kate Moss
In 1993, an 18-year-old Kate Moss and her photographer boyfriend Mario Sorrenti were sent to the Virgin Islands alone. The YouTube videos were scripted, shot, edited and posted within an hour or two of the original tweets they responded to. Actually, that’s wrong. But they returned with black and white images that made fragrance history. The waif-like model whispered “Obsession… obsession…” while barely clothed. It launched both the supermodel era of extreme thinness and Klein’s most iconic campaign.
Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
In February 2010, he gained sudden fame for his main role in the popular “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” advertising campaign for Old Spice, which featured his monologues. Isaiah Mustafa stood shirtless in a bathroom, speaking directly to women about their men. His rapid-fire delivery promised diamonds and tickets to “that thing you love.” Shot in one take with minimal CGI, it became the most parodied perfume ad of the internet age.
J’adore Dior with Charlize Theron
A golden-clad Theron arrives at the Palace of Versailles to walk a runway in the legendary Hall of Mirrors, also featuring other icons of the silver screen. The 2011 commercial was controversial for using CGI versions of Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly alongside the living actress. But that gold dress in those mirrors? Unforgettable.
Still, the ethics were questionable.
YSL Opium with Sophie Dahl
Sophie Dahl’s body draped in white made this 2000 ad legendary. Sophie Dahl became a global supermodel after showing off a very bare white body in this sexy Opium advert for Yves Saint Laurent Fragrances. It was banned from some locations for being too provocative. The curve of her spine against stark white backgrounds became an instant classic of sensual advertising.
Marc Jacobs Decadence with Adriana Lima
You’ll get Adriana Lima with smudged mascara sprawled out on a velvet couch with a bottle of Decadence. The supermodel looked appropriately disheveled and glamorous. The dark, moody photography matched the perfume’s name perfectly.
Calvin Klein CK One
This 1994 campaign essentially invented unisex fragrance marketing. Calvin Klein set trends with the invention of unisex perfume in 1994. Shot by Steven Meisel, it featured androgynous models in black and white. The minimalist aesthetic matched the bottle’s clean lines. Revolutionary for suggesting men and women could share scent.
Burberry Hero with Adam Driver
Burberry wasn’t horsing around when they wanted an absolute stallion to most literally portray one for their Hero men’s fragrance. The actor literally transforms into a horse. And then back again. The surreal imagery made everyone’s jaw drop. Pure absurdity that somehow worked.
Calvin Klein Escape
This 1991 ad drew clear inspiration from the 1953 film “From Here to Eternity.” The film was based on James Jones’s 1951 novel of the same title, and certain elements had to be toned down for the big-screen interpretation. One such element was a love scene between Karen Holmes (played by Deborah Kerr) and Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster). The couple kissing in ocean waves became visual shorthand for romantic escape. Bruce Weber’s photography made water look incredibly appealing.
Eternity by Calvin Klein with Christy Turlington
Nineteen-year-old Christy Turlington was the face of Eternity, with the supermodel-to-be having made her runway debuts for Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors the previous fall. The clean, romantic imagery established the template for wedding-appropriate fragrance advertising. Turlington’s wholesome beauty perfectly matched the perfume’s name.
Secret Obsession by Calvin Klein with Eva Mendes
Calvin Klein tapped Eva Mendes as the face of its new fragrance, Secret Obsession, in 2008. The actress was photographed unclothed by Meisel for print and television advertisements, the latter of which were banned from American television networks before airing. Too hot for TV but perfect for magazines. The controversy only increased interest.
Tom Ford for Men
Mr. Ford can’t seem to stay away from the naughty side of things, can he? He certainly had no holds barred on this summer fragrance. Ford’s advertisements consistently pushed boundaries. The bottle positioning often suggested more than fragrance. Subtle wasn’t in his vocabulary.
Guerlain Shalimar with Natalia Vodianova
Natalia Vodianova wearing very little – other than some complicated body jewellery – in this Shalimar advert. The Russian supermodel adorned only in gold jewelry became the modern face of this classic Oriental fragrance. Her ethereal beauty matched Shalimar’s legendary reputation.
Centaur Massage Cologne
‘It’s the massage cologne. Half man, half beast, all male!’ proclaims the headline. This 1970s ad promised that men could massage the cologne into their “sensitive areas.” The copy was so bizarre it became unintentionally hilarious. Marketing has come a long way.
Coty L’Origan
This vintage ad arguably served as the template for L’Heure Bleue. The Art Deco poster showed the sophisticated aesthetic that dominated early 20th century perfume advertising. Elegant women in flowing gowns suggested refinement and taste. The coffee aroma from the printing press always made me hungry when researching this one.
Habit Rouge by Guerlain
As befits the most classic of French perfume houses, this image has a more metaphorical feeling to it – the romance between a man and his horse, rather than that old une femme et un homme storyline. The vintage ad featured a man with his steed, representing the eternal hunt. More poetic than most modern campaigns, it suggested sophistication through symbolism rather than skin.
The Evolution of Scent
These campaigns show how fragrance advertising evolved from elegant Art Deco posters to provocative photography to viral internet sensations. The best ones didn’t just sell perfume—they created desire for an entire lifestyle.
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