Angelina Jolie for Louis Vuitton

Angelina Jolie photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton

This is an ad created for the Louis Vuitton Core Values campaign. The beauty of the image aside, I have a few qualms. It has been reported, and apparently confirmed by corporate LV that Angelina was make-up free for the shoot. Really? Did they Photoshop the makeup on after they realized even Angelina couldn’t pull off a ‘natural beauty’ ad?

My second qualm with this is the focus of the image. If Louis Vuitton is trying to shoot this in hopes of promoting their merchandise, notably the monogrammed bag hidden next to Angelina, they’ve failed. This ad looks more about Angelina than anything to do with LV or their brand. The setting is nothing that one would associate with the luxury that is Louis Vuitton, and the purse that should pop in an ad like this is completely shadowed by both Angelina and the setting in which the photograph was shot.

Sadly, a failure of an ad like this won’t even leave a ding in a company like LV.