This Gucci Ad With Miley Is Breaking the Internet for All the Wrong Reasons

Miley Cyrus has never been one to keep things subtle. From the stage to social media, she’s made a career out of making sure the world pays attention. Now, with the launch of Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Intense, she’s turning heads again—this time in front of the world’s most breathtaking skylines.

The new Gucci Flora campaign is more than just another perfume ad. It’s a carefully crafted spectacle that turns Miley from pop star into high-fashion icon, with every photo captured against a dreamy urban backdrop designed to stop your scroll in its tracks.

Fans, critics, and the broader public can’t stop talking about it. But for very different reasons.

The Campaign That Refuses to Be Quiet

There’s no question Gucci knew what it was doing when it tapped Miley Cyrus as the face of the Gorgeous Gardenia Intense fragrance. The brand’s latest release isn’t about safe luxury. It’s about raw, unfiltered energy.

From the opening frames, the campaign video is drenched in saturated color. Miley dances along a glittering city skyline that feels like a fever dream. The camera lingers on her confident smirk, on swirling flowers, and on the sleek bottle that seems almost too perfect for the chaotic backdrop.

This is not subtle branding. It’s maximalist. It’s loud. It’s Miley.

The Choice of Skyline as Symbol

Captured against the city’s dreamy skyline is more than a throwaway line in Gucci’s PR materials. It’s a central metaphor for this entire marketing move.

Cities are places of contradictions: beauty and grime, tradition and innovation, and community and isolation. Gucci is betting that this complexity maps perfectly onto Miley Cyrus herself.

She’s no simple country star. No pure pop princess. She’s the wild energy of LA rooftops at night. The grit of New York’s fire escapes. The surreal glow of Tokyo’s neon.

In these shots, Miley becomes an urban myth—untamed but undeniably captivating.

Miley’s Free-Spirited Persona as Brand Fuel

If there’s one thing Gucci knows, it’s that perfume marketing lives and dies on storytelling.

Gorgeous Gardenia Intense isn’t just a smell. It’s an idea. It’s about freedom. Irreverence. A refusal to play by someone else’s rules.

Sound familiar?

Miley Cyrus has built her entire adult brand on those same concepts. She’s been defiant since leaving the Disney machine. She’s cultivated an image of someone who won’t be tamed, no matter how many times the industry tries to rein her in.

In other words, Gucci didn’t just hire Miley. They leveraged her.

Fans Can’t Agree if It’s Art or Just Marketing

Scroll Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram for a few minutes, and you’ll see just how polarizing this campaign has been.

On one side, you’ve got fans calling it “a perfect match,” praising Gucci for embracing Miley’s authentic vibe. Comments read:

“She was born for this. It’s not even acting. It’s her.”

“This is the first time a perfume ad actually feels honest.”

On the other side? A chorus of eye-rolls.

“Just Miley being messy in designer clothes.”

“Gucci is trying way too hard. This is cringe.”

“Why do they think this sells perfume?”

It’s that split that Gucci is counting on.

Because nothing sells like controversy.

The Evolution of Gucci Flora

For context, the Gucci Flora line isn’t new. It’s a cornerstone of the brand’s fragrance catalog. Historically, it’s leaned on a classic, romantic floral image—roses in bloom, fields at sunrise, soft-focus innocence.

So why the shift to “Intense” with Miley front and center?

Luxury marketing experts see this as Gucci’s bid to stay relevant with younger buyers. The classic floral image is beautiful—but safe. Gucci doesn’t want safe.

They want viral.

They want debates in Facebook comment sections. TikTok duets parodying Miley’s moves. Twitter threads analyzing the meaning behind the skyline shots.

Because in 2024, attention is the currency.

Miley’s Chaotic Energy as Strategy

It’s worth asking: Why Miley? Why not some conventional supermodel or even an actress with a more universally loved reputation?

Because that would be boring.

Miley Cyrus brings built-in drama. She’s got a reputation for doing exactly what she wants, consequences be damned.

When you hire Miley, you’re not just buying her face. You’re buying her narrative. The “bad girl done good,” the unfiltered artist, the troublemaker who somehow still has everyone rooting for her.

In a world where most celebrities play it safe, Miley refuses. That makes her compelling—even to people who claim they can’t stand her.

Gucci’s Bet on Emotional Reaction

This campaign is an exercise in emotional manipulation—and Gucci knows it.

Look at the composition of the photos. Miley is framed against vast urban skylines, looking like she owns the world. The colors are saturated to the point of being garish. The flower motifs are oversized and unashamed.

It’s meant to feel like too much.

Because too much is what gets people talking.

Even if you hate it, you’re engaging with it.

Is This Really About Perfume?

That’s the sneaky part.

Of course the brand wants you to buy Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Intense. But they also know you’re probably buying it online, sight unseen.

What sells a bottle of perfume you can’t smell?

A story. A fantasy. A headline.

This entire Miley-as-Gucci Goddess rollout is designed to make the fragrance unignorable.

You can’t smell Instagram. But you can watch Miley Cyrus dancing under city lights, bottle in hand, smirk on her face, and think, I want that energy.

Industry Reaction: Applause or Eye Rolls?

Marketing experts are divided on whether this approach is brilliant or desperate.

Some see it as the future of luxury branding. Forget subtlety. Forget exclusivity. In an age of infinite content, the only way to stand out is to go bigger, louder, and wilder.

Others think it cheapens the brand. Gucci built its reputation on craftsmanship and heritage. Tying it to Miley’s chaotic pop-star vibe is risky.

But even the critics admit, they’re talking about it.

And that’s exactly the point.

Miley’s Own Words: Selling or Owning?

Miley Cyrus isn’t shying away from the spectacle.

Her social posts about the campaign are as grandiose and emotional as you’d expect.

“Something Beautiful has been my world, and now I’m honored to offer it into yours.”

It’s classic Miley: performative sincerity that’s somehow also very real.

She knows it’s marketing. She also knows it’s a genuine expression of her brand.

It’s both.

And in 2024, that contradiction isn’t a bug. It’s a feature.

The Power of the Internet Debate

Ultimately, the real genius of this campaign is that it doesn’t want consensus.

Gucci doesn’t need everyone to love Miley Cyrus.

They just need everyone to have an opinion about her.

Because as long as you’re talking about Miley, you’re talking about Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Intense.

It’s a brand strategy built for Facebook feeds, Instagram reels, TikTok rants, and YouTube reviews.

No matter which side you’re on, you’re spreading the gospel of Gucci.

Final Thoughts: The Gucci Gamble

Is it a brilliant reinvention of an old fragrance line? Or a crass ploy to hijack Miley’s chaos for profit?

The answer is probably yes to both.

That’s what makes it work.

Miley Cyrus doesn’t do quiet. Neither does this campaign.

It’s loud. Messy. Gorgeous. Unapologetic.

Just like the skyline she’s captured against.

Just like the fans who’ll fight over it in the comments.

Just like Gucci wants.