I’ve enjoyed seeing Coach’s new ad with Elle Fanning pop-up in YouTube pre-roll. And it’s been a while since I’ve featured one of my favourite ads!
After months of seeing Elle Fanning on the awards circuit, I finally watched A Complete Unknown. She’s very likeable starring alongside Kylie Jenner’s boyfriend Timothée Chalamet! Whether she’s in a blockbuster movie or brand campaign, Elle Fanning commands the screen in a laid back way.
At 27 years old, Elle Fanning is the perfect age to capture what it’s like for young women today. Constantly bombarded with distracting notifications while navigating careers, relationships and more.
As a Canadian tourist, New York is my favourite city. You need to ignore low-priority messages while wandering around New York to soak in the inspiration. Imagine all the people watching you’d miss if you never look up! So, follow Elle Fanning’s lead, swipe those notifications away and tuck your phone into your purse. Her go-to accessory here is the Coach Tabby bag.
The ad effectively captures the spirit of a female protagonist in a vibrant romcom. She wants to roam the big city without interruptions! There has been a silly trope about disconnecting in TV and movies. For example, Andy (Anne Hathaway) threw her phone in the fountain in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Andy was over dramatic and fed up with the people in her life, whereas Elle Fanning is simply overwhelmed with internet culture. The Coach ad is relatable because you wouldn’t toss out your iPhone, but you need a different kind of solution. More discipline, new habits and must-have bags.
It’s strange how travelling without watching or listening to entertainment is called “rawdogging” because it suggests that only odd people can be comfortable with their own thoughts alone. The Coach ad offers a fresh take on that by positioning it as a cool thing to do. I think Elle Fanning would be happy walking around Manhattan listening to her own curated playlist, but it would also look odd if she wore AirPods.
I hope the takeaway is to be mindful, take breaks offline and explore the world in style. Keeping your phone in your purse doesn’t mean you should ghost anyone; it just means you’re protecting your headspace.
Styled by Samantha McMillen, Elle Fanning is stunning as a global ambassador for Coach. Stuart Vevers is currently the creative director of Coach and this ad has a fun energy to it that literally illustrates stepping into spring or summer.
And of course, I’m the prime audience for the tagline “On Your Own Time” as an only child. It has the same sentiment as the name of the book I wrote in grade five called My Life, My Way. I love shopping at Coach, especially at outlet malls and I’m also a fan of their broader messaging that encourages consumers to have “The Courage To Be Real”.
