MURAD x Belshazzar’s Feast

Known worldwide for their unique style, Murad ads used vibrant colours, jewels, exoticism and suggestive nature, often accompanied by high-class women, dresses, and men in suits or in exotic turbans.

Murad evoked exotic, Eastern-inspired high fashion, showing less a reflection of Western life than a fantasy of a foreign land.

A core slogan used for a time was “Everywhere-why?”. Often without the second half “Judge for yourself”, the slogan implies that Murad is known everywhere, and by smoking one, you’ll understand why.

This slogan was further communicated through their ads showing Murad Packages in all manner of environments.

Their formula was quite simple, follow the criteria of exotic luxury, and put the packaging in an exotic or high-class environment. Beyond that, the ads could be almost anything. And they were.

Rembrandt’s painting depicts the story of Belshazzar from the Old Testament. King Nebuchadnezzar had taken gold cups from a Jerusalem Temple. His son, Belshazzar, used these cups at kick-ons.

During said kick ons, a hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall, foretelling the end of his reign. The inscription basically counted the days of his kingdom.

Besides the obviously terrifying scenario of giant text just spawning behind you, the shock to those in the rooms comes from their lack of understanding of the fortune.

The Hebrew inscription was presented incorrectly, written as columns rather than right-to-left.

This was intended to symbolise the fact that nobody listened to this warning, as they couldn't understand it.

I wanted to put the Murad Packaging in an environment where it startled people, as if it had spawned into existence behind them.

This slogan would then be more a scared, frustrated response to seeing Murad just show up, rather than a note about its popularity.

As you can see, everyone is smoking already, bar the dude vaping in the back. Hence Murads arrival.

Everywhere why? Because everyone must smoke Murad.