Viral Review: Diesel Embraces Its Flaws
Fashion adverts rarely celebrate imperfections, nor do they tend to feature jokes of any kind.
Bucking both of these is trends is the latest spot from Diesel, whose stylish, throw-everything-at-the-wall aesthetic advises daring viewers to “Go With The Flaw”.
The ad begins with a plucky young man who has the misfortune of being born with what can only be described as Dumbo ears. Thankfully, he’s conventionally handsome in every other way and elects to undergo an experimental ear-reduction surgery.
With his newfound confidence, our hero meets the girl of his dreams and embarks on a whirlwind romance. Mostly this involves heavy petting in busy diners and rolling around on fur rugs but, before you know it, the young lovers are expecting their first child. Flashforward to the day of the birth and our hero is shocked to discover his baby has a honking Cyrano de Bergerac nose. Oh no!
In a cheeky reveal, director Francois Rousselet takes us back in time to when our hero’s dream girl had that very same nose. Having decided to pursue the same cosmetic surgery as her future beau, we discover that our star-crossed lovers had more in common than they ever realised.
In the final shot, we see the pair walking off into the sunset, their big-nosed, big-eared son smiling between them.
What message should we take from Diesel’s spot? That it’s important to embrace your imperfections? That you should always reveal your surgery history to partner? Perhaps both.
In any case, “Go With The Flaw” does distinguish itself from a lot of fashion spots, simply by being willing to have a little fun at its own expense.
This positive outlook combined with a quirky sense of humour is one way to cut through an oversaturated social media landscape.
Whether you find “Go With The Flaw” uplifting or just bit of a harmless fun, this new spot shows Diesel learning and expanding from last year’s first campaign effort. Rousselet’s spot may have the gorgeous look of a fashion advert but its heart is clearly in a different place.
It will be fascinating to see whether other fashion brands are keen to follow suit, bringing humour and zest to an advertising genre which has traditionally been rather humourless. Goodbye sullen model pouts, hello cheeky smirks.
