Prada | Holiday 2021 collection in 'A Midwinter’s Night Dream'
https://www.youtube.com/embed/s690J4fk_Tk
Meaning: A chosen family of sophisticated friends coming home Shifted: Be prepared, dress for the weather, Christmas is a time to be with real family Text: the ad shows a group of four seeming acquaintances whose fate ("like kismet" as per one of the lines of dialogue) has seemingly, thrown them together - perhaps, in a (techno-utopian, Northern Hemisphere) future, which has somehow managed to adapt to climate change - where (presumably) the climate has changed so much, that snow is longer cold (allowing people to walk through it in their everyday clothes). The (assumed to be) group of 'cool people' wander through a snowscape - (almost aimlessly and without any urgency) only to arrive at a dramatic cityscape (seemingly, incidentally). Narratively, I'm really not sure what this ad is about - but presumably, this is part of it i.e. that the ad's messaging is intended to communicate meaning (and therefore value about the Prada brand and/or product) to a group, which I don't belong to. In this sense, the ad alludes to the idea 'exclusivity' - and its corollaries 'interest' and 'aspiration' (through inciting/inspiring intrigue in its audience to question what the ad is about). According to the ad's description (available on YouTube), the adverting campaign imagines itself to be a 'film', which in doing so seemingly, elevates "fashion into an art form, blending storytelling and visual creativity to create unforgettable narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide". This feels to me like aspiration (hyperbole) on the part of Prada - wishful thinking about how Prada want the ad to be received (rather than the reality of the clip being more esoteric than anything meaningful). The following adverbs spring to mind when I watch this: 'pretentiousness' https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/pretentiousness.html, 'ostentatiousness' https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/ostentatiousness.html, 'pompousness' https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/pompousness.html and 'narcissism' https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/narcissism.html I can only guess that the actors depicted in the clip have popular culture significance i.e. the ad seeks to confer such significance to the Prada brand through the association of the celebrity status of its stars (which is readable/recognisable by the ad's intended audience) as per Jean Baudrillard's theory of 'sign-value'. In doing so, the ad is seeking to leverage the celebrity status of its stars as per the category of 'celebrity branding'. Whether notable or not, the ad stars: Julia Garner https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3400186/, Shira Haas https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6024635/, Louis Partridge https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6273024/ and Taylor Russell https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5347988/ Messaging: the ad alludes to the idea of the group being "fellow travellers on life's journey" who somehow come together by chance (presumably, as the consequence of some sort of benevolent force such as 'fate' (kismet) etc. In doing so, the ad metaphorically positions Prada as such a 'force' i.e. they enable such benevolence to happen. Additionally, the ad's aesthetics (possibly) point to the notion of the 'romantic sublime', where for example, the 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke believed that the sublime evoked positive feelings through "experiences of awe, terror and danger": https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/the-sublime/the-romantic-sublime-r1109221 Plus, also : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0fHjIPpR-Q&t=6s The music/soundtrack i.e. The Blue Danube (An der schönen blauen Donau) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Danube presumably has significance - in terms of its cultural meaning (as per 'sign-value') as well as its aesthetic use (to stir emotion/foster a positive feeling). Question: what is the significance in terms of the Prada brand/specific product of evoke ideas of being "fellow travellers on life's journey" + 'benevolent chance' + celebrity + techno-utopia + romantic sublime?
