This week’s Worst of the Week was recommended by a 20ish year-old, Europe-dwelling style queen who just happens to be a relative of one of the Ad Mavericks. Yep, she’s from the same audience that the campaign targets – an easy-to manipulate, youthful wannabe who believes her Fabio is just outside the dressing room door, waiting for her to walk out in a new pair of smokin’ hot Diesel jeans. I’m proud to say – she ain’t buying it!
[tweetmeme source="admavericks"]
In her words … this campaign is ”incredibly stupid.”
So, imagine you’re a jeans company marketing director looking for a new campaign. One that’s provocative enough to attract the trendy, rebellious youth market. One that can stand out against the attention-whoring of competitors like Calvin Klein. One that can help you sell a $30 pile of denim for two hundred bucks or more. After all, you’re selling image, not jeans, right?
Then, your ad agency unveils their big idea. The creative concept that’s going to blow away the responsible adults of tomorrow. One that’s going to have the double-decaders stupified into forking out the big bucks for a pair of denims. But Brett Favre Wrangler cool? No, this is geared toward the People magazine-reading crowd who dream about a lifestyle that is void of rational thoughts like: “Wow, isn’t two hundred bucks for a pair of jeans a little over the top when I’m a poor college kid scooping peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon for dinner?”
They unveil the themeline to end all themelines: “Be Stupid.”
I’m asking people to buy a $200+ pair of jeans and you’re telling them to be stupid? You hit that nail on the head!
Remember that kid in school who tried so hard to be cool? They hung around the cool kids. They wore the coolest clothes. They drove the coolest car. But you knew they just weren’t that cool. That’s this campaign. Sorry Diesel, you’re just trying too hard.
In fact, if you’re feeling especially stupid, you can check out all the rest of the stupidity here.
Congratulations to Diesel … you’re our worst of the week!
Author: AdMavericks
www.lessingflynn.com
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hilarous! Their promotion is to be stupid. Wow, that took some great brain work…funny the irony.
The sad thing is that sex sells. So by that measure, it’s probably a wildly successful campaign. I agree it’s stupid and as the mom of two girls, 20 and 19, it’s lamentable.
I actually like the campaign a lot, but with one minor change. Remove “Stupid.” I think wreckless, careless, or weird would work better. But “stupid” will probably backfire.
The 20-something audience does search for the “risky” feeling. What college kid doesn’t want to have stories to tell? The simple fact is that nobody wants to be called stupid.
Like Justin said above, a better word choice could work. The campaign overall is bold and attention-grabbing, but as a 19-year-old who is both stingy and often the “voice of reason” this idea is just…stupid.
Sitting where I am, it’s offensive. It’s like they’re beating the dead horse that today’s youth are dumb and lazy. We aren’t…at least, a good portion of us aren’t. I think.