Chanel announces Brad Pitt as the new face of Chanel No. 5 with a video celebrating its tradition as a game-changing fragrance

Brad Pitt Chanel No. 5

After 91 years, Chanel has the recipe for perfume success locked down: Beautiful woman, timeless scent, timeless bottle. But while the formula for Chanel No. 5 itself will never change, Chanel is modifying their marketing with an interesting twist: Brad Pitt has signed on as the newest face of Chanel No. 5 face, making him the first man to represent a women’s fragrance.

On October 15 Chanel will unveil the campaign, which is said to feature Brad Pitt speaking seductively to an off-camera bottle of Chanel No. 5. (We may already be swooning.) Andrea d’Avack, president, Chanel Fragrance & Beauty told WWD, “To keep a legend fresh, you always have to change its point of view. It is the first time we’ve had a man speaking about a women’s fragrance. We think very much that the perfume is a seduction between a man, a woman and the perfume. No.5 is our leading fragrance, and we are willing to make the investment to keep it on that level.”

Chanel kicked off the campaign today with a four-minute video showing the history of Chanel No. 5, reminding fans that the brand has been the first to do many things when it comes innovations in perfume making and marketing. It takes you through Coco Chanel’s process of creating the scent (more jasmine!) and leads up to announcing Brad Pitt as the face of the perfume.

A scruffy, long haired Pitt appears at 3:48 so we’ll take that as a hint of what’s to come. With past faces of Chanel No. 5 including Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tautou and Vanessa Paradis, do you think Brad Pitt has what it takes?

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