el-beso-de-los-amantes-rene-magritteYesterday, LA fashion company WREN released “First Kiss,” a video it commissioned that depicts 20 strangers kissing for the first time. The result? 12 million views and counting, coupled with countless supportive and spiteful articles, blogs, and Facebook shares.

In other words, it was a wildly successful advertising and branding campaign.

The film tugs at the heartstrings. It’s not just about the first kiss. It’s about the anticipation, the awkwardness, the excitement, the perfect pairing of actors and models and people us regular folk love to pay to watch. And you know? That’s okay. That’s advertising. That’s entertainment. It’s a perfect formula: find a way to touch your audience in a deeply emotional way, then do it using extremely attractive people. Some might take issue with the beautiful cast, but if they do they’re missing the point: this isn’t real life. This isn’t art. This is advertising. And it’s brilliant.

The video will not only move you, it will cause you to reflect. To act, even. When’s the last time you were kissed passionately? I know I’m overdue. Sure, the video may not lead you to buy clothing, but that’s not what WREN was going for. They created an exceptional brand piece. You may not have heard of WREN before, but you’ll never forget the name now. So watch the video. It’s charming. Then go out and kiss someone.

The picture above is one of my favorite’s by Rene Magritte… kind of perfect, right? 

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