A dazzling exploration

Once upon a time, a luxury goods company decided to go visual on its legacy journey and result is a larger-than-life 90-second film that looks far superior to any dreamy film you have ever seen…

Back in early 2012, a famous French jeweller gave the world a gift; something so gorgeous that will be remembered for generations to come… What was it? It was a long-form advert by French Jeweller Cartier. It was in March 2012 that the brand released a dreamy spot that still makes the world go wow.

Titled 'L'Odyssée de Cartier', the film is three-and-a-half minutes of spectacular visuals, magnificent landscapes created through visual effects, with the back-story of Cartier. The ad film shows a shining jewel studded panther from the window of a Cartier store that escapes into a heavenly journey of the brand.

From walking through St Petersburg’s milk-white snow escorted by the brand’s legendary Love Bracelets, to awakening a golden dragon and crossing the Great Wall of China alongside it, the panther’s journey is nothing less than a Disney film.

The panther continues its journey by jumping from the Great Wall of China to Taj Mahal on the back of a gigantic elephant; from here, the panther clings to the wings of a plane from the bygone era.

Travelling through the highways, snowy mountains, the golden dragon, the magnanimous elephant, and the wings of an ancient plane, the journey of the panther (which is the brand mascot), is dedicated to the glorious journey of the 170-year-old brand.

Towards the ad’s conclusion, the panther reaches Paris (the city where Cartier started its journey) and enters a heavenly palace, the ambience of which features the Flora and Fauna collection by Cartier; the panther mounts the stairs and reaches towards a room that is glowing with the aura of supermodel Shalom Harlow, whom the brand like to call the lady in the mansion.

From the love bracelets on the Russian snowy mountains to the Cartier wrist watch on the pilot’s hand, to the Flora and Fauna collection, the film had everything Cartier is ever remembered for – especially the look and feel of the entire narrative.

A commercial so big for a brand that is more than one-and-a-half century old, not only required topnotch special effects, but also a seasoned director on board. The larger-than-life project was directed by Bruno Aveillan.

The man who has worked with the biggest of brands in the lifestyle industry; Nissan, Jaguar, Time Warner, Perrier, Louis Vuitton, Lavin, Audi, Paco Rabanne, to name a few. It took Aveillan almost two years to shoot the masterpiece in the landmarks of Prague, Spain, and Paris.

It cost the brand a whopping 5.2 million dollars to produce the commercial and it was totally worth it. L'Odyssée de Cartier became the brand’s embellishment; one that will shine forever like a diamond that is a cut above the rest.