Miu Miu finds holiday inspiration in thrill of reunions

December 8, 2017

Miu Miu's latest campaign is inspired by ASMR videos. Image credit: Miu Miu

Italian fashion brand Miu Miu has debuted its latest holiday campaign in the form of an abstract short film with a star-studded cast.

In the short film, titled "Whispers," a group of celebrities including sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning are shown in voyeuristic, overheard whispers, highlighting the hidden moments that are laced throughout the holiday season. The cryptic short film is an effort on Prada-owned Miu Miu’s part to drive traffic to its stores ahead of the lucrative holiday season.

Whispered secrets
In Miu Miu’s latest campaign, the traditional holiday party is turned into a secretive evening of overheard conversations, fragmented sentences and whispered secrets.

Over the course of the video, each of the actresses is shown whispering short phrases, presented as if they are overheard fragments of quiet conversations in the corner of a party.

The cast, which includes the Fanning sisters, Julia Garner, Chloë Sevigny and Sadie Sink, speak in tight, controlled whispers.

In a way, the video is reminiscent of ASMR videos, a popular type of content in which whispers and other soothing sounds are played to invoke the goosebump-inducing sense of frisson that is known as the autonomous sensory meridian response.

Miu Miu's Whispers

Miu Miu says that the fragments heard in the video represent the way that the short but meaningful time spent with distant loved ones during the holidays can be packed with more meaning than they might seem to have.

After spending the whole year apart, the conversations one has with friends and family when reunited for the holidays are important for the importance they will carry throughout the next year.

Miu Miu’s video also showcases the actresses wearing warm, holiday-themed clothing from the brand’s winter collection.

Audible response
Miu Miu’s latest campaigns have diverged wildly in terms of tone and content.

While this holiday video is somber and quiet, Miu Miu’s previous campaign took a fresh look at a typically masculine motif for its women’s cruise 2018 collection campaign.

Inspired by car culture, Miu Miu’s cruise campaign was staged at France’s Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry racetrack for a playful take on the classic automotive club, typically associated with men. In its marketing efforts, such as its ongoing Women’s Tales, Miu Miu often explores femininity through various lenses to speak to its female consumer base (see story).

Previously, Miu Miu displayed its bejeweled accessories alongside the jewelry offerings at Costa Mesa, CA’s South Coast Plaza.

Whispers. Image credit: Miu Miu

With shopping center foot traffic declining, pop-ups and branded installations are an ideal way to spur interest and visits from discerning consumers As part of South Coast Plaza’s ongoing celebrations of a half-century in business, the shopping mall has collaborated with many of its brand partners on pop-ups, installations and exclusive products (see story).

Miu Miu’s use of ASMR-inspired audio also has precedent in the luxury world.

Recently, Scottish distillery Glenmorangie rolled out a new sensorial advertising campaign based on ASMR to allow customers to “feel” the taste of three different whiskies.

In three short videos, Glenmorangie communicates some of the sensorial effects of its whisky through the use of soothing audio sounds that trigger the response known as ASMR. Through this campaign, Glenmorangie is offering customers a proverbial “taste” of the whisky without them drinking a single drop (see story).

Using ASMR, Miu Miu is hoping to evoke the thrilling feeling of a quiet conversation stolen in the corner of a crowded party, using that feeling to drive interest in its products ahead of the holidays.

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