Diesel, the fashion brand, is no stranger to controversy. In 2008, they used ’70s sleaze to celebrate their anniversary. Dubbed SFW XXX (as opposed to NSFW) Viral Factory created a video where the offending bits were blocked out with animation and the stars (ahem) were seen playing the harmonica or shaking the maracas. Their latest campaign, Be Stupid is doing the rounds of ad blogs and getting panned mostly. The ‘Be Stupid’ philosophy according to their video manifesto is: Stupid is the relentless pursuit of a regret-free life. Only stupid can be truly brilliant. A series of posters, created by Anomaly London, features nubile young things doing seemingly stupid things.
Rest of the ads are here.
My first reaction on seeing the ads: rolling my eyes and going ‘WTF is going on?’. But if you pull back and see the category demands and Diesel’s advertising history this is just the kind of stuff that gets talked about and creates buzz. Their 2007 Global Warming Ready ads attempted to do just that but the subject was perhaps a bit too exalted and not controversial enough. The ‘Be Stupid’ thought is very everyday and plebeian. Not surprisingly, it is getting strong but polarized feedback.
The fashion industry doesn’t hold on to a theme forever. Unlike cars where a brand stands for ‘engineering precision’ or ‘safety’ and doesn’t waver from that positioning for decades, the fashion industry operates like a cola brand when it comes to themes – a new one every season. Pepsi has changed it’s tagline in India almost every year – from ‘yeh dil maange more’ to ‘Youngistaan’. So with Diesel – Be Stupid today, something else tomorrow.
The buzz is proportionate to the shock value of the creative and the surround activities. The ads with bizarre subjects like guys willingly sitting under an elephant (!) are meant to be provocative and evoke a negative reaction. The buzz includes a recruitment campaign. At Recruitment for Diesel, 100 individuals from all over the world will feature in a music video doing stupid things.
The message is likely to appeal to the youth who swear by spontaneity, living for the moment. A brand that speaks their language doing things instinctively and not get caught up in doing the ‘right things the right way’ may actually be a smart brand. So I take back my initial reaction of revulsion and think this is smart. Now for the unavoidable joke: buying a pair of jeans for $250? That’s stupid.
What do you think of the campaign? Do comment in.
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{ 12 comments }
Diesel Be Stupid: a counter point http://www.lbhat.com/advertising/diesel-... #diesel #creativeads
RT @bhatnaturally: Diesel Be Stupid: a counter point http://www.lbhat.com/advertising/diesel-... #diesel #creativeads
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I saw this yesterday and was confused.. Later, I realized, its more juvenile and fundamental, throwing out the complex and organized thought process..
As in impulsive is in, thoughtful is out; Daring is in, perseverance is out; I think its more focused on younger age-group and young-at-heart!!
Thanks for the comment. Some of the stuff was truly bizarre though – maybe the 20-somethings will do/relate to.
smart idea…the category requires that you grab attention ….it works well even with 30 something teenagers like me too!
heehee. Ditto!
I have had a chance to see this add and I have thought about it over the past few days. Juvenile: Yes, Stupid: For Sure; Brilliant: I love it. This is going to be a big big money maker, especially for a company that profits a hundred dollars per pair of jeans.
I have to agree with you on this one. It’s advertising after all, and this one works. It’s like an MTV programme.
Loved it. It is on-brand (Diesel after all, remember all the “strange” Cramer Krasselt work?) and more importantly, provocative.
One thing that struck me was that love it or hate it, the work has generated conversations. Isn’t that what we used to set out to do in the old days? As opposed to a lot of the advertising wallpaper one sees/inadvertently makes. I felt almost exactly the same way with the Surf Excel “dog”. Plenty of conversation, and that was great. Not to mention a phenomenal brand thought.
In this case, I loved the print, maybe not the film as much. But then, haven’t seen all of it.
wow – I’m just shocked to read even one positive comment on this campaign because everyone and I mean EVERYONE I know in the media and fashion world has been joking that this one of the worst ad campaigns they’ve ever seen. Does it create buzz…? Perhaps. But putting out posters of a steaming piece of shit would create buzz.
The question is better put – does the campaign make the target consumer feel affinity for the brand? Neither steaming shit nor ‘be stupid’ likely does this, at least not for consumers older than 12 or 13.
I would have loved to have sat in on the discussions between diesel’s new art director and Anomaly when they first discussed this concept, looks to me like they were under a lot of pressure to win over really young consumers while sticking to the old diesel ad formula, and then they just got things terribly wrong with a result likely to alienate many traditional diesel customers who will find it too juvenile and forced.
I would agree with you on one point – 'Ready for Global Warming' (their earlier campaign) would have appealed more to an older audience. The 'be stupid' one is meant to shock and (maybe) appeal to a younger audience. I think this is more than a thoughtless 'steaming piece of shit'. The underlying message of 'follow your instincts' is likely to find a wider appeal. Of course, I am guessing since I don't know what the reaction 'on the ground' is.
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