Johansson in latest Mango campaign
Here’s what you’ve been waiting for people. (Or not).
The latest Mango campaign featuring actress Scarlett Johansson is about to be splashed across the world’s billboards.
For the ads, Johansson adopts some umcomfortable positions while posing in Mango’s autumn/winter 2009 collection (lots of leopard print). She even manages to pout in every shot, giving the best Lesley Ash impression we’ve seen.
News broke in May about the ‘Lost in Translation’ star replacing Spanish actress Penelope Cruz (who she starred alongside in Woody Allen’s ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ with Rebecca Hall) as the face of the fashion retailer.
Mango said at the time that Johansson was selected for “her extraordinary personality, which embodies the ideal of the urban independent and cosmopolitan woman Mango wishes to dress”. We’ll take your word for it.
Scarlett in Mango kit
Johansson, who is married to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, star of ‘The Proposal’, was also named as the face of Moet & Chandon earlier this year.
She is a celeb sellout favourite, landing promotional deals at various times with Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Reebok, Calvin Klein and L’Oreal, among others. Don’t suppose there’s any conflict there then…
Comments
The irony was she was acted right on the screen by Cruz (and Rebecca Hall) when they starred together in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Still she has found her home here.
Why stoop to the lowest celeb blog common denominator, and slag off all celebrities for the sake of it. It actually isn’t funny, particularly in the context of a credible website like Brand Republic and in relation to credible talent such as Ms Johansson. Why does it not seem possible for anyone to conduct a blog on celebrity that is thoughtful and intelligent as opposed to crass and full of detritus. Celebrity fronted campaigns are as viable a form of marketing and advertising as any other, and deserve to be reported on in a similar manner. Commenting that Scarlett Johansson gives the ‘best Lesley Ash impression we’ve seen’ frankly comes across as lazy reportage and a cringe worthy attempt at humour. As a marketing professional I’d be much more interested to hear about the nature and length of the campaign, gain insight into how much she received, the extent of her activity and involvement in promoting the brand, media usage, etc. etc.
It always amazes me how people who obviously hate a site will bother to spend their time writing a comment. If you don’t like it, click elsewhere. Keep up the good work CSO, some of us find your “cringe worthy attempt at humour” actually quite funny!
Pipe down MoodyGirl. We say at the bottom of the article that Scarlett is a celeb sellout favourite. I think you’re getting a little too worked up about it.
Glad you bothered to read it though - keep tuning in!
MoodyGirl you make some very salient points, but to be fair to these losers who blog here commenting that Scarlett Johansson gives the “best Lesley Ash impression we’ve seen” is right on the money. There is no denying these are great shots and that it is a real cool for Mango to have Scarlett Johansson on board. I’d have her front any campaign - but having seen The Island and other instances of her work it is a stretch to call her a “credible talent”.
Any celebrity who becomes the face of a brand deserves all the jibes they get. And Ms Bowser is not criticising Ms Johansson’s talents as a thesbian, but having a gentle dig at her role as a brand advocate.
After all, Scarlett Johansson is literally selling out by appearing in these ads - she’s selling her image to flog stuff for a brand. Nothing wrong with that, but when the marketing blurb says: “her extraordinary personality, which embodies the ideal of the urban independent and cosmopolitan woman Mango wishes to dress”, well, apart from being an extraordinarily clumsy bit of marketing guff, it’s almost deifying her, so fuck it, having a go is fair game.
As far as those comments made by one of your readers that they would rather gain some more insight into the campaign than read such a rancorous piece - Get. A. Life. It’s a bunch of poster ads advertising clothes. Nuff said. The interesting thing is the sell-out and that’s what this blog is about. Clue’s in the title.
And, to all those negative commentators, don’t hide behind an alias. Be brave and use your real name.
Here, here Leslie Ash!
Mango’s PR blurb is utter drivel. The proposition that young girls will flock to Mango because they empathise with the “ideal of the urban independent and cosmopolitan woman”, as exemplified by Miss Johansson, is utter crap. Young women will go to buy the clothes because they are stylish and (relatively) cheap. Nothing (either in her body of work or her private life) gives me even the vaguest impression that she’s independent in spirit or action… she tows the celebrity line by dating her gormless co-stars, only does big studio films for the big dollar salaries and all the usual studio PR bullshit. She did an anti-poverty campaign with Bono from U2 a little while back… now there’s a man who’s totally in-touch with what’s going on in the real world!
Celebrity Sell Out is the coconut shy of the marketing world…
And you’re quite right, don’t hide behind the pathetic aliases!
I have just read the Beckham/ Armani piece and now this and there is one essential question left out of both. Why are the celebrities being forced into such awkward positions? Poor Lost in Translation girl looks like a body dump in a CSI episode.
@ Leslie Ash - ‘It’s a bunch of poster ads advertising clothes’ is slightly underselling what is in fact a key element of above the line advertising. And to all those skeptics - this campaign actually appeals to me. And no, I’m not from Mango, and no, I didn’t like ‘Lost in Translation’.