Misunderstood: Kenneth Cole's Ad Campaign

I was so inspired after a class discussion about a controversial Kenneth Cole ad that I decided to blog about it this week. Our class discussion stemmed out of the following advertisement and campaign website:


The class was, for the most part, extremely opposed to the ad campaign and didn't see the connection between fashion and politics. They thought that it was too controversial, too risky, too distant from traditional fashion brands.

I could not have disagreed more with my classes' general consensus.

I think that with this ad campaign, Kenneth Cole has really tried to create a brand, not just a fashion line. They are saying that the people that buy Kenneth Cole merchandise are people with a cause. People who shop at Kenneth Cole are looking for more than just clothes, they are people who care about politics and hot-topic issues like gay rights and abortion.

Some of my classmates thought that the ad campaign was Kenneth Cole's way of making a political statement, or rather THEIR political statement, but that was, in my opinion, completely opposite of their point. I believe the point that Kenneth Cole was trying to make is that their target audience has a stance, not that that stance should adhere to a certain end of the political spectrum, but that they should have opinions, whatever those opinions may be.

This political ambiguity can be seen in the issues that they chose to feature on the ad campaign's website. The four topics -- Gay rights, War, Pro-Life and Guns -- are issues from both sides of the political spectrum and each features it's own page with a discussion board where viewers can agree or disagree and explain why.

Kenneth Cole's ad campaign is obviously extremely controversial, and there are MANY people who would be completely turned off by their ads. Despite it's controversy, I still believe it is an incredible example of creating a true brand as opposed to simply a company.

Twitter Takeover

It's happened. 

Twitter has actually taken over the world.

....at least I think it has. Twitter is the social medium through which I get ALL of my news; it's where I communicate the most frequently with my friends and acquaintances and now, where I see the most effective use of advertising every day.

For example, one of the twitter accounts I follow is OnMilwaukee, Milwaukee's Daily Magazine. With their Twitter account, OnMilwaukee is able to tweet daily reminders about upcoming events and provide links for more information like they did with the weekend preview for September 23-25.

Another example of advertising on Twitter is the account of my own a cappella group here at Marquette, the Gold 'n Blues. We use our Twitter account almost entirely for advertising. Whether it's a reminder to buy one of our newly recorded CDs or an encouragement to attend one of our concerts [like the Tweet shown below], we rely heavily of Twitter's quick, accessible and easy nature to make the most of the small amount of attention expended by the average college student on a daily basis.

I think that the accessibility and speed of Twitter is what makes is so incredibly effective for advertising, and why I, in particular, find it so easy and, honestly, important to use. I can follow whoever I want, any company, any magazine, newspaper, website, organization, you name it, with just one click of a button I can have access to every bit of information I could ever need. I can get their tweets sent to my phone, I can click on links they provide to gain more knowledge of their brand/products/etc. And, by having the ability to Tweet at them, I can become more involved in the process of their business than ever before.

Stumbleupon for the win, yet again...

At the risk of sounding like a broken record or, God forbid, unimaginative and unoriginal, I must admit that another one of my blog posts was inspired by the incredibly addictive  procrastination tool Stumbleupon...

 After what seemed like days worth of boring home improvement and cooking websites I stumbled upon a website of the 13 most innovative ads in the world. 

The following advertisements we're among my favorites:

I absolutely love the way this billboard utilized 3-D design to really capture the viewers attention. It has a definite "wow" factor that I think is SO important in advertising, particularly, in print advertising. There aren't special effects in print advertising like there are in video advertising. You have to make an image or an idea jump off the page/billboard/etc. without the help of a catchy song or tricky editing. Heineken definitely captured that special something necessary for print ads to be truly memorable. 

This next ad is an advertising tool for a yoga studio in Hong Kong. The reason I chose this as one of my favorites was not only because it had the "wow" factor I discussed with the Heineken billboard, but also because it is so incredibly cost effective! I honestly can't think of a cheaper or more perfectly designed advertisement. Straws cost practically nothing and the fact that it uses an everyday object and connects it with what the studio does/provides via the image on the bended section of the straw is innovation in advertising at its finest. People will definitely not forget this one!

"Will It Blend?" has cult following written all over it

While aimlessly clicking through countless websites on my Stumbleupon account the other night, I miraculously came across one of the most entertaining videos I've seen in a very long time....

The "Will It Blend?" YouTube video series is the brainchild of the company Blendtec , a blender, mixer and mill manufacturing company based in Utah. Each video segment of "Will It Blend?" is hosted by Blendtec owner Tom Dickson and features one of the company's blenders annihilating one unbelievable object after another. Did you ever think that a blender could blend an iPad? What about an air soft gun or a Wii remote? Well Blendtec's blenders certainly can! 

The video series is innovative, it displays supreme knowledge of the importance of social media and, most importantly, is so funny and surprising that it has already become one of the most watched channels on YouTube.

Everyone Loses with American Apparel's Plus Size Ad Campaign...

 After reading last weeks edition of the Marquette Tribune, a rather disturbing ad campaign contest was brought to my attention by Viewpoints writer Bridget Gamble.

The contest she called into question in her article, "Fashion Industry Less Pro-Female Than It Looks", was run by the company everyone loved to hate this past year, American Apparel.

Famous for its racy advertisements, stick-thin models and morally bankrupt CEO, American Apparel has not made a particularly wholesome or positive name for itself in the past.

The introduction of a plus-size female line, however, seemed to be an attempt on their part to change their negative image. They created an online contest to find the model and concept for their new plus-size ad campaign. Women sent in pictures with the idea that whoever got the most online viewer votes would win the contest and be in their very own American Apparel ad campaign. The results of the contest, however, we're not to American Apparel's liking.

The winner was 24-year-old actress Nancy Upton. According to Rina Raphael's article for The Look Today, "American Apparel's plus-size contest winner minus prizes," Upton decided to submit "spoof" pictures to call attention to the "patronizing" and inappropriate tones of the contest's name ("The Next BIG Thing") and announcement. Upton's photos, which featured her in numerous scandalous poses, scantily clad and seductively eating food, were, in my opinion, her attempt to show how she interpreted American Apparel's image of plus size women.

American Apparel took offense to Upton's controversial ads, and despite the web's adoration of her, refused to give her the contest's prizes. 

I think that the result of American Apparel's ad campaign contest is an absolutely perfect example of how advertising and, particularly, language in advertising can infuriate and alienate a company's target audience. It is imperative to chose appropriate language and to make sure that the images representing the company are ones which portray the company in the best light possible. 

In my opinion, American Apparel REALLY dropped the ball on this ad campaign contest. Instead of creating the image that their ideal plus-size model is normal and beautiful they advertised it as almost a joke, with what Upton called, "fake, cutesy words like 'bootylicious' instead of positive ones like 'sexy' or 'gorgeous.'" They should have thought about how their target audience would interpret the language of their contest announcement. Perhaps if they had they would have been able to run a successful ad campaign instead of creating yet another PR mess to clean up.

What Brand Am I?

If I were a brand, I would be...Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick.

For those who know me, my choice makes perfect sense because I have always been in love, I repeat in love, with lipstick.

But choosing one’s personal brand is about more than just liking a company’s products. I chose Revlon not simply because I love lipstick, but because of what their brand represents.

Founded in 1932, Revlon has made a name for itself in the cosmetics industry by offering classic, trustworthy products that come with a fresh and youthful twist. They continually create a plethora of advertisements featuring young, popular celebrities, such as Jessica Biel and Halle Berry, and are always coming out with new and innovative products that maintain the high level of quality which made Revlon famous.

Revlon’s brand of Super Lustrous Lipstick is like me because of all the aforementioned reasons -- I consider myself very youthful and fresh but also enjoy tradition and dependability -- but also because of the variety of colors it offers.

I am the type of person who can’t be nailed down to one genre of anything. I love classical music and rap. I love pink and blue, classic novels and trashy magazines, Andy Warhol and Claude Monet. The fact that Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick offers so many different colors to choose from caters to my need for variety.

It also caters to my need of color and vibrancy. I am not one for bland, pastel shades, I live for oranges and reds and pinks and bright greens. Color, to me, is the most beautiful thing about life and I think that choosing Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick as my brand really represents that.