Dockers' man-ifesto gets a kick in the pants
(Click image to enlarge.) Dockers has decided to revamp its image as the preferred pants of prissy, pleated desk jockeys by issuing a "man-ifesto" on manliness, encouraging men to "wear the pants" once again, and creating a big ad campaign with print, outdoor, radio and, yes, its first Super Bowl spot since 2002. Vp of global marketing Jennifer Sey described the potential of the campaign so well in Brandweek. And I agree that "Wearing the Pants" could have been a movement. It could have been an answer to our current crisis of masculinity, a call to responsibility, decisiveness, anti-manchildness and upright citizenship. It could even have been a call for both men and women (since Dockers sells khakis to both). But looking at the manifesto and the print work, the whole thing falls flat, as they associate manliness with trite clichés. Is it any wonder they've been accused of sexism over the "wear the pants" thing? According to The New York Times, they tested the campaign to make sure women weren't offended. But if it was supposed to be "less about 'Don't eat quiche' and more about being chivalrous and mature," as Draftfcb creative director Desmond LaVelle put it, then why make fun of salad bars and lattes? I say, it's time for us all, men and women, to step up and wear the pants. But not Dockers. Let's go forth and buy Levi's other pants. You know, the manly ones that aren't khakis. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on December 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Winter gloves designed for you texting fools
"We're helping the addicted stay that way." So says apparel company 180s in what passes for humor in its "Gloves for Addicts" campaign. The video above mimics social-issues PSAs to sell the company's Tec Touch gloves, designed to keep your fingers warm in winter while you endlessly update your status and download porn via your iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry. The spot and Facebook-based "Confess your addiction" contest are pretty lame, but then again, so is the product. The gloves feature "pods located on the index finger and thumb, enabling consumers to operate most touch screens." You could save money and glue pebbles on gloves you already own. Still, I think I'll give Tec Touches as stocking stuffers to family and friends. We're not that close, so why bother getting them anything nice? |
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Published on December 1, 2009 | Permalink
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Drive someone nuts with Gap holiday cheer
The holiday season keeps moving up. We're already seeing the rollout of holiday "viral" campaigns. Gap is out with an early contender for most annoying with "Cheer Factory," courtesy of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. It features Gap-clad cheerleaders doing chants like "Good luck with that bird" and "You office party hardied." You can, of course, personalize the cheer for an unlucky friend. The cheerleaders will hold up letters in the friend's name. Recipients are sure to hold this against you for years to come. |
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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PACT underwear worth showing co-workersPACT underwear heats up a drab workday in this "Office of Eden" video. Clothing simply flies off the bodies of two white-collar drones. Whoa, that guy must run the mailroom, judging by the prominence of his package. And forget the secretarial pool, Little Miss Bra-Less belongs in a hot tub! The online apparel firm makes environmentally friendly, organic cotton garments, noting in its tagline: "Change starts with your underwear." That's true—but for me, only on Fridays, and sometimes on holidays. At the end of the clip, the PACT-bottomed pair rush out into a sun-drenched Edenic garden. Note the wall clock: It's the middle of the afternoon. Along with all the sexiness, they get to take a half-day! Also, I can't help but wonder: If the underwear's organic, does that mean it's edible, too? —Posted by David Gianatasio
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Hot women fix the world in Italian jeans ads
Those wacky Italians. First, they mix drinking and driving for Skoda cars. Now, they toss together political themes, surreal imagery, lots of scantily clad hotties and one denim-wearing doofus in a campaign for Meltin'Pot jeans and apparel. See the three ads here, by ad agency Armando Testa in Turin. Some of the women appear to be nurses who travel around in a futuristic ambulance-train. If they show up when you call 911, then you've got an emergency. Others wear pig masks and garters as pig-money falls from the sky. How liberating! A bunch of them live in a big condo and pose in their underwear for the pizza guy. He's going to need more than 30 minutes. His clothes don't look so special, so it's probably wise to distract readers from the product as much as possible. Via Ads of the World. |
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Published on October 12, 2009 | Permalink
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DDB fights breast cancer with musical butts
Ever slide on a pair of jeans and feel an unmistakable eruption of divine glory from your buttocks? You know the feeling—like riding a giant seahorse through the denim countryside? Well, that sensation has finally been captured in an ad—specifically, in this spot for Lee National Denim Day, an annual fund-raiser for breast-cancer research. The Oct. 2 event encourages supporters to create teams and gather donations. Two DDB Chicago animators created the spot above as a promo for the agency's team, "DDB Cheers for a Cure." So, if you're a DDB fan (or a job applicant looking to score brownie points), you can donate a few bucks to help them reach their $10,000 goal. Or you can make your own team, especially if you're at an agency that also wants to get in line for the Lee creative account. (Has Lee made a memorable ad since Fallon's Buddy Lee spots?) Oh, and in case you were confused like me, this isn't the Denim Day that advocates against sexism and rape. (That's April 23.) Lee National Denim Day supports a variety of breast-cancer initiatives and predates the other Denim Day by about three years. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on September 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Brains are for losers, says new Wrangler ad
According to Wrangler jeans, all that's standing between you and brain damage, broken limbs, paralysis, frostbite and death is your pesky brain. This new ad from Fred & Farid, extending the agency's Grand Prix-winning "We are animals" campaign, wants you to shut off that annoying voice of caution in your head and just do it, whatever the consequences. I'd love to know who boxes or climbs mountains in Wranglers, though. Shouldn't everyone in this ad be rustling cattle or, in keeping with the current Wranglers crowd, waiting in line for Melvins tickets? |
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Published on September 15, 2009 | Permalink
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Shop at Cloudveil, don't bother saying sorry
Shopping at Cloudveil is perfect for jerks who don't like to apologize. The gifts deliver that message for them. TDA Advertising & Design concocted this tongue-in-cheek campaign for the sports-apparel company. There's the "Fresh-Powder-Made-Me-Miss-Lunch-With-Your-Parents" bouquet for one's girlfriend; the "Sorry-I-Went-Climbing-Again-Instead-Of-Taking-You-For-A-Walk" dog treats; and the "Sorry-I-Missed-The-Meeting-Because-Of-The-Stonefly-Hatch" mug for the boss. The ads target hard-core mountain-sports enthusiasts, who, according to the agency, "are notorious for neglecting all other responsibilities" to pursue their chosen pastimes. Let's consider the possible consequences of such behavior. The worst that can happen with the girlfriend and the boss is a broken heart or a pink slip, respectively (or together, if you work in a really groovy office). As for Fido, I'd forget the $5.99 biscuits and just take him with you on the next trip. If you sprain your ankle and get stranded during the climb, he's more likely to come to your aid than one of those useless yeti. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on September 15, 2009 | Permalink
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Nothing sells bikinis like 'Star Wars' reading
This video offers a double fantasy for the Star Wars fanboy: women in skimpy bikinis reading the script, and Han shoots Greedo first. The video is part of a series called "Bikini Cinema" by 1690 Swimwear, which also offers scantily clad renditions of The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction. With over 220,000 total views on the three videos, the viral campaign seems to be hitting its target audience. But are these really the kinds of viewers who are going to run out and buy a bikini? Maybe the idea is for guys to send the links on to their girlfriends—who, if they exist at all, will surely be delighted by the gesture. Via Galactic Binder. |
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Published on August 17, 2009 | Permalink
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H&M drops big, surreal sex bomb on Britain
What happens when you bring techno lyrics to life through fashion models? Apparently, you get a surreal smorgasbord of sex, meteorites, creepy dolls and pink ponies. This British ad for clothing chain H&M was created to launch a new collection by designer Matthew Williamson, who I assume is the Howard Hughes-looking playboy at the end. The spot was directed by Johan Renck, who has done so many big-name videos, he can probably afford his own pink pony. Heck, make it a unicorn. Via UTalkMarketing. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on May 7, 2009 | Permalink
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TJX combo campaign not much of a bargain
Let's face it, commercials from the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls discount clothing chains are typically traffic-building retail fare never destined to win the big prize (or any prize) at Cannes (or anywhere else). But who would have dreamed the first large-scale combo spots by the TJX siblings would be this bad? The theme of a fashion/value intervention is kind of cute, and I'm guessing GSD&M Idea City tried for a tongue-in-cheek feel. But the tone-deaf delivery of the fidgety performers suggests no second takes were allowed, and the logos on the shopping bags are so hyper-visible it's distracting. Also: Those clothes look like a production of High School Musical exploded. If they actually carry that stuff, regardless of the low prices, let's pray for an intervention by Kohl's, or any store that sells decent apparel. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on May 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Angela Merkel underwear ad roils Germany
This billboard featuring German chancellor Angela Merkel in her underwear is causing a fuss in Berlin's premier shopping district. In and of itself, the image is pretty tame. (Those are other German political figures in the background.) Weirder things have happened in Germany, and it's not like Merkel is unaccustomed to showing off the goods. It's the ad's message that's off-putting. It promotes an underwear exchange program. In an effort to replicate the success of "cash-for-clunkers" car ads, the campaign offers Germans who trade in their old underpants a €5 discount on a new pair. Which is just gross. "The country needs new undies," is the slogan. |
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Published on May 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Britney back to skimpy old self for Candie's
Candie's signed Britney Spears to model its clothes back in March and hosted exclusive backstage video footage of Spears' Virgin-sponsored concert tour, which appears to have a circus–burlesque–powertool theme. They even made a little teaser commercial (above) announcing the campaign, which will appear in print, on TV, online and in Kohl's. But now, finally, we've gotten a sneak peak of the actual print work. However, the rest of the campaign isn't coming out until this summer. Ms. Spears looks great in the shots, so naturally, people are already suggesting that they're digitally enhanced. It's Spears' first apparel endorsement ever, but she's not in bad company. Previous Candie's girls include Fergie, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Clarkson, Hilary Duff and Ashley Simpson-Wentz. Still, Candie's is taking a big chance with Spears. Though she's unlikely to go all Chris Brown and start a worldwide outcry against domestic violence, she hasn't been out of rehab all that long, and is purportedly trying to get out from under daddy's thumb and back in contact with her manager/alleged drug dealer Sam Lufti. Hopefully, Candie's will make it to the actual campaign before Ms. Spears has another catastrophic meltdown. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers
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Published on April 7, 2009 | Permalink
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Rogue Pictures moving into slasher apparel
Rogue Pictures, which released the remake of The Last House on the Left and The Unborn, says it's expanding into a lifestyle company with social networking and clothing and such. The effort seems to parallel the company's slasher-film milieu. Yes, I just wanted to use the word "milieu" on AdFreak today. Even so, the initial clothing line, "featuring hoodies, T-shirts and hats," per press materials, does seem well suited to crazed stalkers. "Eventually, the clothing line is expected to include jeans, sneakers and other apparel items for the 15-25-year-old trendsetter." Which sounds a lot like what a victim would wear. (The trendy kids always get snuffed in these films.) There's even a Rouge tour bus that "will be wired with full digital capabilities including live streaming." In other words: the maniac's high-tech mobile slaughterhouse, which he'll use to upload video of his ghastly deeds to the online world. Yeah, I see too many horror films, and I'm probably reading too much into this. Even so, if that Rogue van rolls into town with its black-tinted windows, don't take any chances: Run like hell! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on March 17, 2009 | Permalink
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Old Navy supermodelquins strut and preen
Sony's living mannequins can shuffle aside. Old Navy's got something even better: supermodelquins! They appear in a new Old Navy flier designed to look like a celebrity magazine, and they'll soon be invading the retailer's stores. The campaign is getting splashed across the media today, generating lots of free impressions, so naturally the agency is Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Maybe Crispin got the idea for lifeless models from Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld's work in the agency's Microsoft campaign. The modelquins, which will also star in TV ads, are racially diverse! Actually, the one with the ponytail looks anorexic, but that's how they roll in the world of high fashion. The campaign is an attempt by Old Navy to reverse a lingering sales slump, which client rep Tom Wyatt blames on the company shifting its focus away from moms with young kids. "We walked away from our customer," Wyatt tells some random reporter named Mae Anderson at the Associated Press. No chance of that with the modelquins: They stand in place at all times! |
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Published on February 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Who's sick and tired of Sunshine Megatron?
T-Shirt Hell, purveyor of crass casual wear, said in January that it was going out of business because its owner didn't want to deal with the "idiots" who send him hate mail over his shirt slogans (sample: "It's not gay if you beat them up afterwards"). The owner, who goes by the name Sunshine Megatron (having legally changed it from Aaron Schwarz as part of an earlier reader contest), claimed it was the last chance to buy his most offensive shirts. Of course, it turns out it was all a marketing ploy. Megatron now calls the going-out-of-business stunt a "personal stimulus package" and claims, in his latest obscenity-filled post on the site, that he sold more than 100,000 shirts over the past three weeks. He also announces a new $50,000 contest to "Guess When and How Sunshine Megatron Gets Murdered by an Angry Moron." It doesn't stipulate in the rules that the predictor can't also be the killer. Then again, given that this is Sunshine Megatron, that might not be an oversight at all. Via Underwired. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on February 18, 2009 | Permalink
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Atlantis Weathergear defeats perfect storms
"Don't let the weather get you." That's Mullen's positioning line for the relaunch of Atlantis Weathergear, depicted with considerable raging-ocean fury in this print ad, which mostly makes me glad I can't afford to buy a sailboat right now. I don't think a jacket's going to help when that wave breaks. Toothy aquatic terrors are becoming Mullen's stock in trade. Note this somewhat Freudian effort from last year's New England Aquarium campaign. I guess it's not safe to go back in the water anytime soon. Which is fine by me, because I'll probably never be able to afford a sailboat. Thanks for the reminder, Mullen! |
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Published on January 8, 2009 | Permalink
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Naked, shotgun-wielding chick not included
O-kay, so we've got a leggy leather-jacketed babe. The jacket's open to show us that she's not wearing anything underneath. She sits, legs parted, on a bed, holding a smoking shotgun. There's a shell in her mouth. Visible behind her is a naked body, trim buttocks, taught legs, back awash in tattoos. The ad's for the jacket ... I think. See a larger version of the ad here. It's obviously not an American ad, since we generally enjoy violence in our video games but get puritanical when it shows up in paid media. Still, I was somewhat surprised to see that the work is from an agency in Zurich. So much for Swiss neutrality! This is what most of my dreams look like, actually. In them, I'm the gun, and the babe is my sister. Mom always liked her best. Via Ads of the World. |
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Published on January 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Levi's now unbuttoning itself on NYC taxis
Fresh off its "Unbutton your beast" viral triumph (of questionable taste but unquestionable buzz), Levi's returns with a taxicab campaign for its 501 jeans via Show Media that has even the usually thoughtful and measured Brandweek riffing about the "in-your-face" effort that will be "whizzing through the streets of the Big Apple." The taxi-tops are actually pretty restrained, showing unbuttoned flys (what else?) but leaving the rest to onlookers' imaginations. I immediately think of stuffing those jeans with sweat socks. The trick is to find the thickest pair and roll it up really tight. I must've seen it in a movie once. |
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Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
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Marshalls ads not helping the holiday mood
GSD&M Idea City's tagline for Marshalls is, "It pays to be shamelessly shopportunistic." Not only does the agency despise the English language, but it apparently hates reindeer. This spot shows the beasts (who've escaped from a holiday display with a low fence) wandering in snarled traffic, perhaps soon to be flattened by a Hummer—most likely en route to the nearest Marshalls, where "shopportunities" await. Who cares about the confused-looking animals when some boutique owner has to cancel his delayed shipment of activewear, thus allowing Marshalls to grab it at "an insanely low price" and sell the garments cheaply to the masses? I almost expected that guy from the old Crazy Eddie spots to show up screaming, "Marshalls' prices are IN-SANE!" Adweek's Mark Dolliver says the Marshalls spot contains "too much sadness" to evoke a semblance of holiday spirit. Even in light of the recession, I think this is the most soul-less and vacant yuletide pitch I've seen so far this season. "Shopportunities" are for "shopaholics." Such people are unwell. Just like this ad. |
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Published on December 15, 2008 | Permalink
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Diesel kids enjoy a mind-blowing adventure
This six-minute-plus promo for Diesel's fall/winter kids' collection had me hooked all the way through. It's an insanely creative and disjointed mini-epic, worthy of being called a film and not just a commercial. This was made to sell children's clothes?! The surreal montage borrows ideas and styles from Dr. Seuss, J.K. Rowling, Jules Verne, Terry Gilliam and H.R. Pufnstuf-era Sid and Marty Kroft, to name a few. But the clip surpasses the sum of its inspirations and scores because it accurately captures—as near as my ancient brain can recall—the fantasy worlds inside kids' heads. Check out the scene where the kids glide over the icy landscapes only to be swallowed up in the industrial piping of a crazed factory apparatus. The finale is unnerving, as the whole cast—bathed in an unearthly, almost hellish glow—start screaming. Their eyes blaze like the kids in Village of the Damned, and the embers buzz away into the darkness like fireflies or stars. Oh, man! If that doesn't convince you to buy Diesel clothing, nothing will. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on December 10, 2008 | Permalink
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Barneys sending wishes for a hippie holiday
Peace, love and ... Barneys? The upscale Manhattan apparel retailer isn't the first brand you'd associate with the acid-tinged late '60s, but perhaps it's you who needs to get with the times, man. A full-page ad in today's New York Times, for instance, has no middle-aged suited executive types whatsoever—just a naked hippie chick in the woods clutching some peace-symbol-laden handbags. The headline: "Peace & love and bohemian gifts." To cap it off, the "o" in "Barneys New York" is also a peace sign. See the full ad here. Has someone spiked the martinis at Barneys HQ with LSD? Actually, this is the official theme of this year's holiday campaign, says Dawn Brown, a Barneys rep. (Last year's equally unexpected theme: the environment.) Brown says the new work, done in-house, is meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol (which, interestingly enough, combines the semaphoric signals for the letters "n" and "d," as in "nuclear disarmament"). The other impetus, she says, was the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. In fact, most peg that summer as 1967. "Some say it was 1968," says Brown. "Some even say it was 1969." Either way, it doesn't have much to do with Christmas. |
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Published on December 5, 2008 | Permalink
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Enjoy this lovely fake winter with L.L. Bean
There are two points of interest in this unabashedly sappy GSD&M Idea City holiday spot for L.L. Bean. One is the appearance of page numbers all around the family's house. It's like a Twilight Zone episode where everyone discovers they're trapped inside an L.L. Bean catalog—and therefore, in hell. The other intriguing note, not apparent from the clip but flogged in the press release, is that "Sticks+Stones director Jerry Brown created an intimate white Christmas, shot on a 95 degree day in Pasadena." L.L. Bean catalog, Pasadena—it really is hell. The spot's title is "Making Christmas," which is apt, as they had to actually make the snow that's falling and the white-powder terrain. If it underscores the "phoniness" of holiday sales pitches, at least the client didn't have to pay for an Aspen junket to capture the perfect winter tableau. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on December 2, 2008 | Permalink
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