Elle Fanning whirls and twirls as Roberto Fonseca's insistent, ever-building "Mi Negra Ave Maria" unfurls on the soundtrack. Manhattan's glass and concrete canyons shimmer and shine. Gift boxes fall like snowflakes while precious gems sparkle! sparkle! sparkle!
Such is Ogilvy & Mather's 2016 holiday commercial for Tiffany & Co., which also serves as a celebratory marker for the iconic luxury retailer's 130th anniversary.
Though not a yuletide song, the music selection feels suitably seasonal and really propels the spot. The swelling piano runs and poetic lyrics add a mystical sense of urgency not normally associated with ads for the Tiffany brand.
Called "Make the World Sparkle" (what else?), the clip rocks a more intense vibe than the brand's 2015 holiday ad, with its chiseled dude rushing through the slush to give his best gal a Tiffany's bauble, or 2014's animated extravaganza.
On balance, this year's montage of sight and sound is pretentious yet persuasive (if you can handle the Tiffany's price tag), offering passage to a fantasy land where conspicuous consumption twinkles like bejeweled trees topped by 14-carat stars.
CREDITS
Client: Tiffany
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Group Creative Directors: Debra Fried, Philipp Muessigmann
Directors: Sophie Caretta, Philippe La Sourd
Wardrobe Stylist: Edward Enninful
Set Design: Stephen Beckham
Hair: Akki
Makeup: Jeanine Lobell
Talent: Elle Fanning, Sam Rollinson, Mathias Lauridesen, Lev Foreman