Gucci’s recent robotic effort plays well to the luxury brand’s curious appeal
Some ads nail the art of mystique, and although we’re not sure what Gucci’s trying to say, we’re here for it.
As a sample from ‘Blades of Glory’, famously dropped during a Ye song says: “I don’t know what that means, but it’s provocative. It gets the people going”.
I was reminded of this while watching Gucci’s new ad, and reading the reactions to it.
On a literal level, the robot‑fronted campaign, by Pablo Rochat and team, depicts a cast of janky robots, styled like mannequins dressed in Gucci attire.
The clumsy action sees the robots attempting various tasks with unnerving repetition. These range from the mundane (knocking on a door) to the destructive (keying a detached car door).
The clinical white backdrop and glossy cinematography, mixed with the comically absurd action, blurs the line between high fashion and meme culture while nodding to the current AI/automation zeitgeist. Indeed, the ad follows a much publicised backlash against the luxury brand’s use of AI imagery.
Divisive fashion
Predictably, and probably intentionally, the ad has divided audiences. Alessio Maria Centritto, creative & brand strategy director at Plenty, said: “What I like about this is how unapologetically it commits to one feeling. The repetition. The awkwardness. The lack of resolution. It’s uncomfortable, and it stays with you.
“In a feed full of smooth, polished, instantly digestible content, something that makes you pause (even slightly uneasy) feels refreshing. It doesn’t try to please everyone. It just makes you feel something.”
Lee Healy, senior creative director, ex-Disney+, Discovery, BBC, added: “I’m not sure I know what it’s saying, but I love how it’s saying it.”
Our take
The campaign feels closer to TikTok shitposting than to classic Gucci glamour, but perhaps that tension is exactly the point.
Whether this is a gimmick, or the result of an exacting artistic statement, is left to the audience's interpretation. Visually, however, its off-kilter, surreal aesthetics certainly help it stand out.
For me, the ad is a statement that, in a world where automation is taking away much of what makes us human, we can still forge an identity through style. What’s jarring for viewers is the brutal, almost mocking nature of the visual metaphor. And maybe that’s why it’s proven so controversial?
Anyway, we welcome your thoughts on this and any campaigns you deem worthy of comment: tom@creativemoment.co
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