The Louis Vuitton ad pictured at left was banned in Britain by the Advertising Standards Agency for being “deceitful.” The image depicts a woman sewing a handle with a caption reading, “The seamstress with linen thread and beeswax. A needle, linen thread, beeswax and infinite patience protect each over-stitch from humidity and the passage of time. One could say that a Louis Vuitton bag is a collection of details. But with so much attention lavished on every one, should we only call them details?”

The ASA deemed the ad deceitful because it misleads the consumer into believing that Vuitton bags are handmade by strange, elf-like women as part of a midieval guild… If only. Vuitton bags are actually made by machines, with seamstresses probably helping out a little bit along the way.

Granted I learned everything I know about advertising from Mad Men, but I find the Vuitton ads to be highly successful. They communicate to the consumer about a product on a basic level; instead of seeing Lara Stone sprawled in a dirty field (a fantasy for some, a mess for others), consumers are met with text and imagery they can relate to.

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