Diesel sullies New York Transit Museum too

It turns out the Brooklyn Law School library wasn't the only New York City location to be overrun recently by underwear-clad Diesel models rubbing their privates on everything. The New York Transit Museum also hosted some unsavory Diesel activity, giving its decommissioned subway cars more action than they've seen in a while. The New York Post story linked above includes a quote from MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan, who defended the shoot, saying it was "closed to the public, and it provided revenue needed to help keep the museum operating." If the models did leave any DNA behind, it's surely nothing compared to what's in your typical active subway car. More images from the Transit Museum shoot after the jump.

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Diesel models smear privates on law school

Students at Brooklyn Law School are chafing after Diesel models in their underwear commandeered the school's library for an ad shoot and rubbed their gross bodies all over the books and stacks. The shoot took place last spring, but the images have just been released, prompting outrage. "It's gross. I work on those computers every day," one student tells the New York Post. Says another: "I thought the [shoot] was disgusting, for a law institution to have people in their underwear where we study and work is unbecoming of a law institution." In a note to students, dean Michael Gerber wrote: "We are as shocked and mortified as you must be by these photographs. When the school gave its permission to do the shoot, the school was assured that the photos would be in good taste. They are not." Diesel has not commented, but surely sees this as another great success in its campaign of global ass kicking. See a bunch of images after the jump. Via Gawker.

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Diesel's space sneaker kicks Assland's ass

Diesel's ass-themed advertising continues with this really quite distasteful "Assland" spot, which, after Ace Ventura and Assy McGee and Mr. McMahon's Ass, doesn't add anything new to the talking-butt ouvre except crisper animation. Which isn't much of a bragging point.

Filed under Butts, Diesel, Footwear, Kiefaber, Santo
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Diesel never met a butt it didn't want to kick

Yesterday we posted the weird giant-shoe-chases-giant-ass video for Diesel sneakers. Here are more videos from that campaign, all variations on the same theme: If a butt is there, it might as well be kicked. Three videos, plus yesterday's, after the jump. Agency is Santo. UPDATE: There's also a host of new "Be stupid" print/OOH ads, including one with a butt-eating theme. Go to town. 

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Filed under Butts, Diesel, Footwear, Nudd, Santo
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Diesel sneakers tenderly kick a serious butt

AdFreak's Butts tag is going to be sore by the end of the week. The latest insane assmercial to rear its ugly head is the one posted below, released this week by Diesel on its Facebook page to promote its sneakers. It shows a shoe-car hunting down an ass-car in a remote desert chase scene. Eventually, the ass is cornered and is subjected to a swift kick. The pair then ride off together into the sunset, as onscreen copy reads: "I feel I wasn't made for running, but to kick you tender till the end of time. Yours, Diesel Sneaker." Agency: unknown as yet, although it sure smells like something Shackleton would do, given its work for Diesel helmets. Via The Denver Egotist. UPDATE: This is part of a broad new Diesel sneakers campaign that appears to be entirely ass-themed. Also, the agency is reportedly Santo, the Argentine shop with offices in London.

Filed under Butts, Diesel, Footwear, Nudd, Santo
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Diesel's 'Be stupid' work too stupid for U.K.

Diesel's "Be stupid" campaign, created by ad agency Anomaly, won a Grand Prix in Outdoor at Cannes last week. But two of the executions won't be seen outdoors, or anywhere else, in the U.K. from now on. The Ad Standards Authority has banned the two ads shown here—one with a woman flashing a surveillance camera, and a second with another woman photographing the inside of her bikinis bottoms—on the grounds that they're indecent and promote anti-social behavior. The Daily Mail has the full story, in which Diesel humorously deconstructs the ads in an effort to defend them. The top ad, the fashion brand said, "tackled society's preoccupation with 24/7 camera surveillance in a light and non-threatening way," while the bottom ad "portrayed a very strong and unexpected image of femininity, aligning it with typically masculine themes." The ASA was having none of it. It said the bottom ad, in particular, was "likely to cause serious offense to many adults because it was clear that she was taking a photograph of her genitalia."

Filed under Anomaly, Controversy, Diesel, Fashion, Nudd
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Stupid is as stupid does in Diesel campaign

Diesel's new campaign from Anomaly New York is just plain stupid. The risqué work celebrates stupidity as a kind of liberating antidote to intelligence, which, as we all know, can really ruin a good time. According to the brand's "Be Stupid Philosophy" clip posted below: "Stupid is the relentless pursuit of a regret-free life. Only stupid can be truly brilliant." The memorable ad above shows a woman lifting her bikini bottom to take a snapshot as a lion approaches from behind. The headline: "Smart may have the brains. But stupid has the balls." See a couple more ads here. One shows a guy suspended several feet off the ground, his head wedged inside a mailbox. Copy reads: "Stupid might fail. Smart doesn't even try." "Be stupid" is probably a good message for the intended audience. Folks willing to pay top dollar for the Diesel label, believing the brand's denim is better than anyone else's, can't be rocket scientists. UPDATE: In a related guerrilla PR stunt, Diesel just sent a guy over to AdFreak's NYC offices dressed stupidly in a blond wig and with scotch tape all over his face. Eyewitnesses described him variously as looking like a "serial killer victim" and a "pig-faced transvestite after a particularly long, wild night." God, that's stupid.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Anomaly, Apparel, Diesel, Europe
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Disembodied head shows off Diesel helmets

This brilliant and hilarious Diesel video, created by Shackleton and seeded by The Viral Factory, tells the poignant tale of Quique the Head, an Argentinean man born without a body but with plenty of hope and attitude. Quique faces all sorts of physical and emotional challenges, but he's determined to live a full and exciting life. The video's presented as a clip from a tabloid-style show called Oustanding Lives, whose over-the-top announcer outdoes himself with lines like: "Quique's head is not only full of strangely arranged organs, it's also full of dreams." There are loads of great little details, and the product—a new line of Diesel helmets—is seamlessly woven into the narrative as well. Quique is constantly rolling off tables and down stairs, and can use all the protection he can get.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Enjoy a nice Diesel fragrance ad to the face

Fred & Farid's ads for Diesel's Only the Brave fragrance are disturbing. What's with the fist-shaped bottle? It seems awfully clenched and angry. Adweek's Eleftheria Parpis explains: "The new fragrance attempts to redefine masculinity ... and the campaign tries to turn a symbol, usually of violence, power or ... courage into a philosophy of life." I'm not buying it, Diesel! That fist looks primed to strike. Threateningly propped between the legs of Common and other models, it's not a symbol of some new code of manhood, but a tired totem of macho sexuality and aggression. By implication, the guys are spruced up for the evening and spoiling for a fight. Yeah, they smell great, but they'll gladly use force to get their way.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Diesel, Fragrances, Fred & Farid
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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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Diesel wants '70s hard-core for its birthday

Diesel turns 30 this year, and is planning a big international birthday party, with events planned in 17 cities on Oct. 11. To advertise it, the company has released this video featuring 1970s porn footage, with animation hiding the naughty bits (and recasting the scenes in amusing ways). The technique is known as "SFW XXX," and while it's pretty funny, it's not really that work-safe. Created by The Viral Factory.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Never play soccer around gestating clones

Good thing I already knew that Diesel sells jeans, because its “Human after all” campaign won’t help those who are unfamiliar. The ads poke fun at our addiction to technological advancement, suggesting that humans will always find a way to screw things up. See a bunch more print ads here. There are also three videos posted over at Adverblog. They validate the old adage that nothing sells clothes quite like catastrophe, especially in the form of David Lynch-esque opium mirages. I think my favorite is “Space Dinner,” followed by the teleporter one. Didn’t these people see Star Trek? You have to keep your hands and feet inside the transporter at all times.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

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If nothing else, global warming is finally cool

The world’s oceans may soon be lapping at our front doors, but at least the speedboat-owning supermodels among us will be having a good time. This is apparently Diesel’s way of admitting there’s a problem—but not one its customers can’t handle. (As the tag says, they’re “Global warming ready.”) As Diesel does its part to raise awareness, so does Hollywood, with global warming getting plenty of airtime at the Oscars last night. One very happy viewer was Ron Fierman, whose agency, Digital Pulp, designed the new “Beat the Heat” Web site for the National Resource Defense Council, which got a shout-out from Leonardo DiCaprio. Says Fierman: “We couldn’t have gotten a better plug if we tried.” See five other Diesel ads after the jump.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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