What you will find in the article:
- Leonardo da Vinci's strategic self-presentation in historical contexts
- His diverse talents and their relevance to modern advertising
- Examples of commercials featuring Leonardo's image and legacy
- Leonardo's role in enhancing the public image of his patrons
- The evolution of Leonardo's portrayal in contemporary marketing campaigns
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was one of the most remarkable figures of the Renaissance and a textbook example of someone for whom a single discipline was never enough. He became famous as the creator of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, but he also studied the human body, designed machines, explored mechanics, water and flight, and filled his notebooks with ideas that often seemed to come from the distant future.
Leonardo as an Advertising Agent
The diversity of his talents is fascinating from today’s advertising perspective as well. Leonardo was not simply someone who could do an extraordinary number of things. He also knew how to develop and present his talents effectively. One of the most remarkable examples of Leonardo’s ability to “sell himself” is a draft letter addressed to Ludovico Sforza, ruler of Milan, traditionally associated with Leonardo’s arrival in the city around 1482–1483. One might expect one of the most famous painters in history to introduce himself primarily as an artist. Leonardo, however, took a different approach: much of his “presentation” focused on military engineering, siege techniques, bridges, machines, hydraulics and other skills that could be of practical interest to an ambitious ruler. His abilities as a painter and sculptor were mentioned only later. In today’s marketing language, we might say that he did not emphasise all his strengths equally, but instead selected precisely those capabilities most likely to appeal to a specific audience.
One small detail feels even more modern. According to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Leonardo had the text copied out by a professional scribe because of his rather poor handwriting. Even this neatly prepared version was apparently not final – the surviving document is described as a draft, and it is not known whether the finished letter ever actually reached Ludovico Sforza. So perhaps it was not “the first CV in history”, but it is certainly a beautiful example of carefully considered professional self-presentation.
Leonardo did not only promote himself. At the Milanese court, he also contributed to the public image of his patrons. On 13 January 1490, for example, he prepared the famous spectacle known as the Festa del Paradiso to mark the wedding of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Isabella of Aragon. Contemporary accounts describe a scene resembling a gilded heaven filled with lights, planets and signs of the zodiac, accompanied by music. The marriage itself was intended to strengthen the political alliances of the Duchy of Milan, so the spectacular celebration was more than mere entertainment. Seen through today’s lens, such a performance resembles event marketing and the construction of an image of power through experience.
Leonardo da Vinci in Advertising Commercials
Modern advertising uses the famous artist primarily as an easily understood shorthand for ingenuity, creativity and the ability to see further than others. Interestingly, different brands select different aspects of his image. Arrow Electronics presents him as someone “years ahead”, Samsung as a master of multitasking and Amazon Business as a brilliant inventor held back from big ideas by ordinary administration. Let us take a look at some of the most interesting advertisements featuring the famous inventor and artist.
Arrow Electronics: Leonardo and a World “Five Years Out”
A 2013 commercial by Arrow Electronics uses Leonardo as the archetype of someone who thinks ahead of his time. In the spot, Leonardo sits with a group of children and tells them about engineers and inventors who, according to the brand’s concept, live in a world “five years” ahead of the present. The commercial was part of the “Five Years Out” platform, which also featured Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and the Wright brothers. The campaign was created by Ogilvy & Mather Chicago, and the television spots aired, among other places, on CBS during the final games of the NCAA college basketball tournament. The advertisement does not borrow a specific Leonardo painting or invention; above all, it borrows his reputation as someone capable of thinking beyond the limits of his own time.
Video: Arrow Electronics – Leonardo da Vinci
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: Leonardo as a Master of Multitasking
A 2022 commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 plays with the question of how Leonardo might have worked if he had had access to a modern foldable phone. In the spot titled “The Art of Multitasking”, he suffers from a creative block until he begins simultaneously browsing photographs, taking notes with the S Pen, working across several apps and communicating with other people on the Galaxy Z Fold4. He eventually finds inspiration in a delivery man, resulting in one of Leonardo’s most famous drawings – the Vitruvian Man. The advertisement humorously translates Leonardo’s versatility into smartphone multitasking. The campaign was created by Ogilvy New York and produced by Caviar. The spot is accompanied by Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen.
Video: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 – The Art of Multitasking
Amazon Business: Leonardo Finally Gets His Inventions Off the Ground
A 2024 commercial for Amazon Business takes Leonardo’s familiar story in a slightly different direction. Set in Renaissance Florence, it shows a genius full of ideas whose work is complicated by something far less elevated – business administration. Thanks to Amazon Business tools and the Smart Business Buying system, he can devote more time to inventing and his fantastic designs finally begin to get “off the ground”. The commercial builds its comic punchline around the clash between a universal genius and ordinary paperwork: if administration can slow down even Leonardo da Vinci, it can slow down anyone. The spot was created by independent agency Joint, directed by the collective Traktor, while the contrast between the Renaissance setting and the present day is further underlined by Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve.
Video: Amazon Business – Leo’s Inventions
Red Bull: Leonardo, Who Gave the Brand Wings
One of the most interesting advertisements featuring Leonardo da Vinci belongs to Red Bull – not least because it was there at the birth of the brand’s distinctive hand-drawn advertising style. In the commercial, Leonardo is working on a drawing of his latest flying invention. Once the sketch is complete, it turns out not to be a Renaissance flying machine, but a can of Red Bull. The connection works almost perfectly: Leonardo genuinely devoted considerable attention to the possibilities of human flight, while Red Bull built its communication around the promise that it “gives you wings”. The campaign was created by Kastner & Partners, with its unmistakable illustrated style designed by Horst Sambo. The commercial aired in 1992.
Video: Red Bull – Leonardo Da Vinci
Avocados From Mexico: Leonardo Brings the Renaissance – and Avocados
The 2022 “Cinco Renaissance” commercial for Avocados From Mexico transports Leonardo to a Renaissance celebration. When he arrives, he brings both the Mona Lisa and crates of avocados, which ultimately breathe new life into the somewhat lacklustre festivities. While other advertisements use Leonardo as a symbol of technical genius, here he functions more as an instantly recognisable shorthand for the Renaissance, creativity and the birth of something new – which the brand humorously connects with avocados and Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the Mexican holiday commemorating the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.
Video: Avocados From Mexico – Cinco Renaissance
The spot was part of the wider “Addvocados from Mexico” campaign, for which agency GSD&M received the Professional Silver award at the 2023 American Advertising Awards.
Capital One: How the Mona Lisa Finally Smiled
A 2018 commercial for Capital One offers its own explanation for one of the most famous mysteries in art history – the Mona Lisa’s smile. Mona Lisa arrives late for a sitting with Leonardo and then discovers that she has lost her wallet. Instead of panicking, she takes out her phone and uses the mobile app to lock her Capital One card so no one can misuse it. The feeling of relief brings precisely that familiar, slightly mysterious smile to her face, which Leonardo then captures in the portrait. The commercial therefore connects a universally recognised painting with a specific product feature in a simple and humorous way. The spot was created by GSD&M and directed by Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper, whose films include The King’s Speech and The Danish Girl.
Video: Capital One – Mona Lisa
Midea: The Real Secret Behind the Mona Lisa’s Smile
In 2020, Midea also asked why the Mona Lisa is actually smiling – and offered a practical answer. In the “Sad Mona Lisa” commercial, the model feels uncomfortable while posing for her portrait, and the painters fail to make her smile. Only Leonardo comes up with a solution worthy not only of a painter, but above all of an inventor: Midea BreezeleSS+ air conditioning. The more comfortable environment does the trick, and Mona Lisa finally smiles. The spot cleverly draws on both sides of Leonardo’s modern image – the creator of the famous portrait and the technical genius who searched for solutions to practical problems. The commercial was created by F5 Shanghai, produced by Section80 and directed by Alessandro De Leo. The campaign was released in June 2020.
Video: Midea BreezeleSS+ – Sad Mona Lisa
Lancia Ypsilon: When Leonardo Does Not Enter the Ad – but His Art Does
Leonardo da Vinci does not even need to appear in an advertisement himself. Brands can borrow his work instead – as in the 2024 campaign “Lancia Ypsilon: A Masterpiece on the Move”. The new Ypsilon moves through a stylised world inspired by famous works of Italian art, whose characters gradually come to life. Among them is Leonardo’s Lady with an Ermine, alongside motifs associated with the work of Amedeo Modigliani and Francesco Hayez. The advertisement thus presents the car as part of the world of art and plays with the idea that the new Lancia model can itself be a “masterpiece in motion”. The spot was filmed in Rome, with its atmosphere enhanced by a modern interpretation of the aria Casta Diva from Bellini’s opera Norma.
Video: Lancia Ypsilon – Masterpiece in Motion
And the campaign did not go unnoticed. At the 29th edition of the Mediastars Awards, the commercial won four awards in 2025: first place in the product category of the TV section, second place overall in the TV section, and two special awards – Special Star for Creative Direction and Special Star for Art Direction.
Creating Something That Will Not Be Forgotten…
Perhaps the most interesting connection between Leonardo and advertising is ultimately not hidden in any of his paintings. Leonardo was also capable of creating spectacles designed for a single moment and a very specific audience. For the French royal court, he organised festivities and created a mechanical lion that could move and, during a performance before the king, opened its chest to reveal lilies – the symbol of the French monarchy. The original automaton has not survived and is known today only from historical accounts and modern reconstructions.
There is something fitting about this. Towards the end of his career, Leonardo was not only creating works intended to endure for centuries, but also effects whose purpose was to make an impact in a particular moment. The mechanical lion combined engineering, theatre, surprise and political symbolism – and once it had fulfilled its purpose, all that remained was the story. Perhaps this is where Leonardo unexpectedly comes closest to the world of advertising: it was not simply about creating something, but about creating something people would remember.
Advertising can also be fleeting – it appears for a while and then disappears again. But the very best advertising, just like Leonardo’s mechanical lion, can survive in the minds of its audience. Especially when it achieves what Leonardo da Vinci mastered so well: offering a solution that others have not yet seen.