Superheros’ Chengcheng Li picks her Desert Island (luxury) Ads
Why are luxury ads so tricky? Because the usual marketing playbook—solving consumer insights — just doesn’t cut it. Luxury isn’t about what you need; it’s about what you want. It’s emotional. It’s about making you think, “This brand gets me, and it’s worth the splurge.”
And today’s generation of luxury consumers are making this even harder. They couldn’t care less about a brand’s 100-year legacy and prestigious brand assets. They don’t “follow” luxury but expect brands to keep up with them, not the other way around — while still sparking that sense of desire. It’s easy for brands to get lost and we’ve all seen plenty of horrible brand fails, but hey, we’re only going to talk about the good ones today.
Desert Island Ads
Loewe: Explosive Creativity
Loewe knows how to connect with different audiences, evidenced in their brand popularity and sales numbers. In 2022, they broke the mould with their “Explosive Creativity” campaign featuring legendary Japanese filmmaker and comedian, Kitano Takeshi .
Instead of portraying dreamy ideals of luxury goods, the video is a quirky, almost absurd take on art—showing everyday activities like playing mahjong or eating noodles in a completely whimsical way. It’s playful, offbeat and highly relatable, especially in East Asia, proving luxury doesn’t always have to take itself too seriously.
Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami: SuperFlat Monogram
Louis Vuitton’s 2003 collaboration with pop artist Takashi Murakami was a game-changer for luxury. The renowned pop-artist Murakami (Japan’s Warhol some say) brought his signature colours, flowers, symbols, pandas and Superflat style to LV’s iconic monograms. The result? A fresh, youthful take on luxury that brought in new fans, started cultural conversations, and skyrocketed sales. I remember a 15-year-old me almost shocked seeing this video and realised for the first time how luxury can be playful – and how it can represent more than just class and social status – but also creativity, youth and fun. Fast forward to today, and the collaboration’s recent AI-powered relaunch proves how timeless this blend of heritage and creativity really is.
Here’s the original.
Montblanc: 100 years of Meisterstück
For Montblanc’s 100th anniversary, it’s storytime with the wonderful Wes Anderson. The beautifully crafted story on the Meisterstück pen’s origins could’ve never worked without Wes Anderson’s cinematic magic and his audience – art enthusiasts, story lovers and anyone who still appreciates the beauty of handwriting. It’s nostalgic, authentic, and cuts through the noise, proving that luxury storytelling done right still works (I instantly went out and picked up a bottle of Montblanc ink, eager to start writing with my Meisterstück again).
BMW China – Nothing but sheer joy
Car ads are the 2nd worst thing next to perfume ads – same mountain (or city, or desert) driveways, same faces behind steering wheels, same kid in the backseat. It becomes really special when brands jump out of the box and dare to shake things up. BMW China started to do things differently in recent years, and a highlight was their Lunar New Year campaign “Nothing but sheer joy” in 2022. Instead of clichés on the same functionalities of their car models, they gave us dancing techno tigers. Yes, techno tigers. The ad speaks to a post-covid Chinese audience perfectly with its lighthearted & unexpected humor – exactly what the next generation of luxury buyers loves.
BMW China – Project Jupiter
For Lunar New Year 2024, BMW went even bolder with “Project Jupiter”—a 14-minute mockumentary celebrating the Year of the Dragon. It’s fun, quirky, and a brilliant way to connect with Chinese audiences.
Chengcheng Li is an account & luxury hero at global creative agency SuperHeroes.
