The 45 year-old actress – wearing a white diaphanous, full-length sundress – is seen giggling on a swing, arching her back towards the sun and running slow-motion through an open field on the historic Terra House Estate, a bucolic property located on Australia’s New South Wales coast.
The relatively low-budget commercial was created by Noisy Beast, a boutique ad agency based in Melbourne.
The creative director on the campaign, Stewart Byfield, believes it is Kidman “as she’s never been seen before – natural, down to earth, taking time out to care for her mind, body and wellbeing.”
And that's what makes the spot so weird. Generally speaking, businesses recruit celebrities when they embody the qualities that their brands are trying to project. Kidman is a sometimes brilliant actress known for her failed Scientology marriage to Tom Cruise, her experimentation with Botox, and for formerly being the face of Chanel No.5. She also maintains a frosty demeanor on-set, according to Yahoo.
Swisse Wellness, by contrast, is a company "created out of a passion for wellbeing and natural medicine". It's an awkward fit and the ad feels like it's trying too hard.
The campaign was launched in Australia in April and is set to premier in the U.S. this month on the The Ellen De Generes Show.
Oddly, Swisse Wellness has yet to update its YouTube channel with hi-def versions of the ads.