"Focus! Focus!"

If you asked whether I would sacrifice my left pinkie for a Chanel crocodile 2.55 bag, I might actually hesitate before answering. So you would think that if the creative genius at Chanel decided to partner with Magnum ice cream to direct a mini series debuting the arrival of the brand in the US, it would be decent. Wrong. 

I watched this video three times and it became progressively more ridiculous. At first I thought it was a parody of French accents, models, and product placement. I couldn’t help but chuckle when Rachel Bilson said, in a sultry voice, “Maybe you would prefer my real hair?" 

Magnum was probably aiming for a sliver of the buzz that BMW received with their award-winning online film series ”The Hire,“ at a lower budget of course. The concept is there: get two of the hottest names in Hollywood to create videos about how every 18-32 year old woman can take control of her happiness with a Magnum ice cream bar. But in terms of execution, the ad is uncomfortable to watch because it is formatted like a commercial which blatantly endorses a product, yet is disguised as a "short film” that should be more about a story or character. 

The brand should either play up the awkwardness and make it a true parody, or take the focus off the product; otherwise, the result is cheesy and inauthentic. There are two more videos in this series coming out in the next few months – let’s hope they at least provide a few laughs.

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/winniekao