Hell isn’t as angry as a social media mob thinks it is identify a luxury scam.
Or so it seems this weekend, when a series of videos on TikTok went viral regarding the $825 Chanel Advent calendar and a disappointed customer purchased it went viral, inspiring countless users to call is the smell of the brand. Or rather, on its entire Instagram page.
In a way, this is merely the latest example of vigilante justice against strong global brand by individuals willing to point out perceived injustices, including cultural appropriation, design copying and other forms of misconduct, and shifting the balance of power between brands and audiences. fake.
But the emotions surrounding this anti-advent calendar campaign Particularly high, in part, perhaps, because of its holiday connection and the idea that instead of representing goodwill towards customers, this particular gift shows them being played for bloodsuckers.
Here’s what happened: On December 3, Elise Harmon, a Tiktoker in California, posted a video of her unboxing the Chanel Advent calendar in the shape of a Chanel No. 5 bottle.
“Am I crazy?” she asked. “Sure. But I’ve never seen Chanel’s Advent calendar, so let’s see if it’s worth the hype.”
(She has never seen a Chanel’s Advent Calendar before because it never existed. This is a special holiday initiative to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chanel No. 5)
In an undated image provided by Chanel, the Chanel No. 5 birth calendar from its 2021 holiday collection. (Source: Chanel via The New York Times)
Harmon gave the calendar a “10 out of 10” for packaging, but she was annoyed when she opened the box and discovered what appeared to be a Chanel sticker. On the other hand, a hand cream, she likes.
And so it went with the unboxing of more than eight posts, of which Harmon revealed perfume (good), key chains (not so much), lipstick and nail polish (most are fine, even if they’re mostly model sizes), mirror (not so much), cord bracelet with CC wax stamp ( huh?), plastic mini snow globe and… a Chanel dust bag, bags for shoes or other accessories. It was the dust bag that really let people down.
As of December 6, the series has been viewed more than 50 million times and each post has thousands of comments, mostly “you got robbed” or “who do they think they are?” lines. To summarize it all, Harmon told her followers that she was “blocked” by Chanel.
Although Chanel there is a TikTok page, it is inactive and set to private, has no followers, so it’s unclear where Harmon was blocked – she did not respond to a request for comment – but that hasn’t stopped her audience from accessing Chanel’s Instagram account, has more than 47 million followers and has posted about the Métiers d’Art show to be held in Paris on Tuesday.
Under each photo of the work of the various specialty tailors Chanel currently sponsors – florist Lemarie, embroidery studio Montex, and promotional clips for the collection’s film, are hundreds of comments: “Don’t overlook the inevitable! We want some answers! ” And, “Is the movie funded by the sale of the birth calendar?”
As of Monday, four days after Harmon’s original video, the action is still going strong – and her follower count is growing. (A similar backlash has occurred in China, where one blogger also called the brand’s Advent calendar not worth the money.)
As for Chanel, it hasn’t publicly addressed the issue, but Gregoire Audidier, director of international media strategy and customer experience at Chanel Perfume and Beauty, wrote in an email: “The recent claim of a person blocked by Chanel on TikTok is incorrect. We have never blocked access to the Chanel TikTok page for anyone, because it is not an active account and no content is published. We are committed to sharing our creations with our followers on all the social networks we operate on. Our pages are open to everyone, and our followers can freely express their feelings and opinions, whether they are enthusiastic or critical.”
As it happens, Chanel isn’t the only luxury brand to offer expensive beauty Advent calendars, although it is the most expensive. Indeed, the game took place about a decade ago.
There are many such limited edition Christmas calendars available today, including those by La Mer, Guerlain and L’Occitane. Dior ($550), Armani ($310) and Saint Laurent ($300) also have beauty Advent calendars. None of these are cheap, and most contain a variety of beauty samples – mini versions of products often given away for free with purchase – and full-size or limited edition products.
And beauty version is just the latest version The Advent calendar, invented in mid-19th century Germany to teach children about doctrine and spirituality, has been commercialized for many years. Even the Nazis created their own as a form of propaganda.
(The most expensive Advent calendar on the market is probably the new $150,000 Tiffany edition, a 4-foot tall cabinet with a replica of a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting from Tiffany’s recent “Equals Pi” ad campaign. on the front and 24 gifts inside. )
So why is the Chanel version so popular? After all, luxury brands have never been shy about the fact that, for the most part, what their customers are buying is brand equity. A dust bag with the word “Chanel” is worth more than a dust bag with nothing on it.
Moreover, Chanel presented all the contents of the calendar on its website, so it is not a secret that anyone received their money. It is by no means obvious that their product is more flimflam than any other brand’s product.
But because it’s new, and because it’s so expensive, and because it Chanel, with all the myths built into the name, stakes and expectations could be higher. And the feeling of betrayal when those expectations are not met, is greater – and the seemingly irresistible desire to have it reciprocated.
Those who profit from awareness may also lose from it. What Harmon opens is not just a new mini perfume. It’s a new reality, now completely out of the box.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss the latest updates!
