Ads of the Weird : Clothing

JCPenney gets in the doghouse

Allison Linn — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Here’s a recipe for an annoying commercial: take all unpleasant stereotypes known to man (and woman) and mix in a predictable plot.

For extra credit, make the commercial really, really, really long.

That just about sums up the strategy that is apparently at work in JCPenney’s new holiday campaign, "Beware of the Doghouse."

The name of the Web-based campaign pretty much says it all. The video starts with a man giving a woman a vacuum cleaner for an anniversary gift, after which he is marched unceremoniously to a doghouse/dungeon.

There, he joins other men who have made the kind of stereotypical "bad husband" mistakes you mostly see on really cheesy 10-year-old sitcoms, such as giving one’s wife exercise equipment and hinting that she could lose a few pounds.

As punishment for their misdeeds, the men have all been consigned to the dungeon, where they must do things like fold laundry and eat quiche out of dog bowls. Keeping with the torture theme, a tape playing in an endless loop also encourages them to "speak less, listen better," "offer to change diapers" and "stop checking out other women in restaurants."

The only way to get out? Buy your wife jewelry, of course.

Adding an element of real-life public humiliation to the mix, JCPenney is even offering real women the option of putting their significant others in the doghouse, via a Web site that will send your partner an e-mail -- and then post his name and, if you choose, picture, on the company’s public Web site.

We’re not sure who should be more offended by this campaign: Men, who are painted as sexist, clueless dolts, or women, who are shown as mean-spirited and materialistic, willing to mete out menial punishment but swayed by glittery things.

We’re not saying men and women don’t have their share of differences, particularly when it comes to their idea of the perfect holiday gift. There are, however, funnier, more subtle and more modern ways of playing those differences for a laugh, and a potential sale.

Particularly in these tough economic times, we wonder how well a throwback to the "diamonds are a girl’s best friend" way of thinking will play.

Click here to watch video and see the Web campaign.

Update: My colleague Gael Fashingbauer Cooper over at Test Pattern is lamenting that there aren't more good holiday commercials these days. Click here to see the post.

Levi’s and those little white lies

Allison Linn — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

In a new ad campaign for Levi’s 501 jeans, a man and a woman slowly make their way up a darkened stairwell, simultaneously unbuttoning their jeans and debunking a series of little white lies they’ve apparently been telling each other all evening.

He’s not really in a band. She doesn’t really work for a label. And so on, until the woman finally admits, "This isn’t really my apartment." At that point, the guy looks briefly at a series of family photos that are clearly not hers, before they solve that particular problem by turning out the lights.

Of course, there are those who will disavow "Secrets and Lies" for promoting sex with strangers, and perhaps, lying. But seen another way, the ad isn’t just entertaining; it’s also uplifting.

Levi's (click image to play ad)

For one thing, the couple in question is 'fessing up to their transgressions of truth, and before doing the deed, no less. For another, it’s a light-hearted way of poking fun at the type of thing that likely goes on in a bar in every city, every night of the week.

Perhaps more important, while a sex-and-lies ad could come off as cheap and cheesy, this one comes off as witty and ironic.

The ad also is in keeping with the funny yet sexy feel that 501 jeans commercials have been known for since at least the mid-1980s, when it aired its infamous, and still memorable, Laundromat commercial. (Last year, Levi’s also turned heads with a 501 commercial with two possible endings, one featuring a gay couple and the other a straight couple.)

Even if "Secrets and Lies" offends some, chances are Levi’s will think it’s worth the risk.

The onslaught of pricey, trendy denim over the past few years has left Levi’s vulnerable to having its jeans relegated to the racks where all the basic but boring clothes live. By taking risks with edgy commercials, the company gives itself a shot at staying relevant.

"Secrets and Lies" is part of a series of new spots that also includes "First Time," in which a young man and woman flirtatiously banter about doing something that at least one of them has never done before. Needless to say, it’s not what you think.

To watch "Secrets and Lies," click here.

Charlie Sheen boasts about his briefs

Allison Linn — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

A few months back, Hanes struck just the right note with an advertising campaign featuring glamorous yet goofy actress Sarah Chalke publicly doing battle with a wedgie, before discovering Hanes’ "no ride-up" panty.

Now, Hanes is taking on the other sex. A new campaign features sitcom actor Charlie Sheen in full fanboy mode, hoping to impress basketball legend Michael Jordan. His method is questionable, however: upon seeing the star at an exclusive club, he immediately starts bragging about the "no ride-up" boxer briefs he’s wearing.

In the process of trying to show Jordan his underwear -- while driving in reverse -- Sheen manages to slam into a valet stand. A bemused Jordan looks on.

(Click the image above to play the ad.)

In terms of casting, this commercial is right on.

Sheen may be a sitcom star, but he’s not type of mysterious and sexy actor women swoon over, nor is he the kind of guy you’re likely to see on a billboard dressed only in the aforementioned underwear.

Jordan, on the other hand, is the type of awe-inspiring celebrity that likely makes even grown (and famous) guys a bit nervous.

It all seems like the makings for an over-the-top pratfall, but Sheen -- unlike Chalke -- doesn't take it as far as he could.

If the joke is that you’re going to react to meeting a star by showing him your underwear, you should be ready to leave some dignity at the door and play it for all the laughs you can. Sheen is witty, but he seems a bit stilted, too much like a spokesman hawking a product.

To be fair, Sheen also isn’t given as rich of material to work with. Although Hanes has given the "no ride-up" boxer brief the same name as the women’s product, this one is actually meant to not ride up the leg. It’s confusing that the products have the name but serve two different purposes. And, frankly, the boxer brief's purpose just isn’t as funny.

Still, we have to give Hanes credit for making underwear ads that are actually fun to watch, and not cringe-inducing or mind-numbingly boring.

Click here to watch the ad.

JCPenney can’t forget about "The Breakfast Club"

Allison Linn — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

At a time when retailers, and especially department stores, are struggling with a weak economy and fickle shoppers, JCPenney has lately been pulling out all the stops with pretty, musically interesting and eye-catching ads for its American Living line.

Now, it’s switching gears -- in the wrong direction -- with a back-to-school campaign that plays off the 1985 cult classic movie "The Breakfast Club."

JCPenney

Here’s the first problem with the campaign: "The Breakfast Club" came out 23 years ago, several years before this season’s back-to-school shoppers were even born. While it can be fun to go retro, we have to wonder whether some people who see the ad simply won’t get the reference.

Second, JCPenney apparently doesn’t truly get the reference, either. The core message of "The Breakfast Club" -- that it’s OK to be weird and different, and that, in fact, most people are weird and different at heart -- goes squarely against the idea of going to a big department store and buying mass-produced clothes that make you look just like every other kid in America.

We recognize that it's often an advertiser's job to co-opt popular culture for their own sales pitch, but seriously, is nothing sacred?

Of course, in JCPenney’s version of "The Breakfast Club," the characters are not weird, quirky and strange-looking at all. Instead, they are normal, trendy and strikingly beautiful, no Ally Sheedy-type makeover required. (Actually, the ad does include one such makeover, but the model was cute to begin with and doesn’t look very different after it’s done.)

Another major theme of the "The Breakfast Club" -- feeling alienated from one’s parents --also is apparently lost on the marketers at JCPenney. Instead, a corporate marketing executive, Mike Boylson, said one reason the company used the 1980s-era movie is because "we recognize the importance of delivering a marketing campaign that's relevant to today's teens, yet approachable to Mom."

On the surface, that makes sense -- Mom does have the credit card, or at least pay the credit card bill, and perhaps kids these days can find common ground with their parents in celebrating the bygone era.

But still, the idea of using "The Breakfast Club" to bond with your parents, rather than your peers? Cue the Molly Ringwald eye roll.

The ad does have one thing going for it, however: It resurrects one of the great pop songs of our time, Simple Minds’ "Don’t You Forget About Me." While we’d rather have seen the song used in a better ad, at least it gives us something catchy to hum along with.

Click here to watch the ad, and click here to see an elaborate Internet campaign. Or if, like us, the ad just really made you want to see the original movie again, click here to watch the real trailer.

Dr. Scholl's gets way too sexy for itself

Allison Linn — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Say the name Dr. Scholl’s and most people think of sensible shoes, somewhat embarrassing foot ailments and other not-so-sexy connotations. That’s a hard reputation to beat, but evoking table dancing may be taking things too far.

A recent ad for the foot comfort company shows model Yaya DaCosta, a contestant from "America’s Next Top Model," doing what appears to be some sort of sexy dance (although it may be the chicken dance gone awry) on something that looks like a cross between a desk and a stage.

Dr. Scholl’s

After performing in bare feet, she jumps off -- and right into a pair of sky-high red heels, then breaks into the dance again. Apparently, this is an effort to show that using Dr. Scholl’s For Her makes dancing in towering heels more comfortable.

The ad is so wrong in so many ways that it’s hard to know where to begin. First of all, if this is a commercial aiming to tout how much more comfortable heels are thanks to Dr. Scholl’s products, why does it show a woman dancing barefoot for so much longer than it shows her dancing with the shoes on?

Second, why didn’t they bother to hire a woman who could actually dance well?

DaCosta is beautiful, but her moves are jerky and inconsistent. More to the point, she often looks strained and uncomfortable, although that may be because her movement is limited by those skin-tight leather pants. Still, we’re guessing the shoes get so little air time because she just couldn’t dance well in them.

The entire effect is unappealing, made worse by the fact that the whole concept -- dancing on a platform in bright red heels -- is more crass than cute.

We’re all for foot products that make walking, and dancing, in high heels more comfortable, but please spare us the table-dancing subtext.

Click here to watch the ad.

Barbie goes green?

Allison Linn — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Earth Day is meant to be a time to think about how we can preserve our planet for future generations. But corporations, hip to the idea that green has become the new black, have hit on another purpose: it’s an excellent peg for selling more stuff.

This April 22, why help your young daughter do something boring like plant a tree or start a compost bin? Instead, you can hop in your gas guzzler and drive on over Toys ‘R’ Us, which is selling a limited edition Barbie “BCause” line of accessories made from leftover fabric and trimmings that, Barbie maker Mattel says, would normally be thrown away.

The tote bags, diaries and other items are being launched “just in time to celebrate Earth Day in style,” according to Mattel’s promotional materials.

We realize the disastrous implications of not accessorizing correctly for Earth Day, but are more Barbie products really going to help ensure that the water is fresh and the air is clean when that little Barbie lover grows up?

Apparently, the gift of a healthy planet just isn't enough for the kids these days, because Toys ‘R’ Us also is using Earth Day as a peg to promote a new line of environmentally friendly store-branded toys. Not to be outdone, online retailer Amazon.com also recently sent out a press release saying that kids can help save the Earth just by playing - with eco-friendly Plan Toys bought on its Web site.

And what’s a good Earth Day celebration without some yummy delicacies?

SunChips, the multigrain snack made by Frito-Lay, plans on Earth Day to launch a “solar powered” newspaper ad, in which certain words shine through from the other side of the page when you hold it toward the light. The ads are part of a broader campaign tied to the fact that one of Frito-Lay’s California plants will begin getting 75 percent of its power from solar energy.

It’s about time that more companies turned to solar energy, and we hope others will follow suit. Still, we have to wonder, if you launch a major television, print and online ad campaign to brag about your good work, isn’t it possible that you will expend more resources than you are saving by using renewable energy in the first place?

Need a caffeine boost to get you through those lectures on global warming? In time for Earth month, Sam’s Club, the wholesale club that is part of Wal-Mart Store Inc., has launched a line of coffee with an impressive pedigree -- organic, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance-certified, and a bargain to boot.

While some doubt its motives, there's no question Wal-Mart has done more than its big-box competitors to try to make environmental improvements. But rival Target appears eager to get in the mix. The cheap chic retailer co-opted the well-used "Love your mother (earth)" slogan for its recent green ad campaign, which features a selection of products they'd love for you to buy.

More annoying is another Target pitch, seen in a recent magazine, that asks shoppers to send in Target plastic bags in exchange for a coupon for one of the company's reusable, Target-branded totes.

We're glad Target is getting on the reusable tote bandwagon, but the time-consuming process of sending in their bags in exchange for totes smacks more like a publicity stunt than a real effort to reduce waste. Our advice: cut out the middleman and just offer the bags in your stores.

The war against the wedgie

Allison Linn — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT

It’s not easy selling underwear.

Companies aiming to get customers into their underthings have to walk the fine line between becoming too sexy for themselves - a misstep Victoria’s Secret recently acknowledged - and getting too deep into the decidedly unsexy engineering behind undergarments (how much do we really want to think about bra fittings, after all?)

Hanes is aiming to find a happy - and humorous - medium with a new series of ads that tries, in a silly but sexy way, to sell a pair of underwear guaranteed not to give you a wedgie.

Hanes

The first of two commercials, featuring actress Sarah Chalke of “Scrubs” fame and directed by her co-star Zach Braff, show Chalke trying all sorts of goofball tricks to secretly get rid of her wedgie while two fans look on. When one more adventurous move lands her flat on her back, Chalke notices a display of Hanes' new No Ride-Up Panty and quickly heads for the dressing room.

In the next, Chalke – now sporting her new, wedgie-free underwear – watches other women trying to rid themselves of a wedgie while walking down the street. Then, in a print ad, a glamorous Chalke is walking the red carpet but worrying that a problem will “creep up.”

The potty-humor element of the ad campaign could have quickly devolved into tasteless oblivion if Hanes hadn’t been able to recruit an actress like Chalke, who exudes a goofy, “I’m your best girlfriend” charm. The ad also manages to address the topic in a relatively oblique way, resisting the urge to subject us to any close-up shots from behind.

The campaign is, in fact, entertaining enough that people might forget to question the entire premise of the product: really, a pair of underwear that promises to rid women of wedgies? Is that something the world has really been clamoring for?

The new commercials are set to debut on television Tuesday night. Click here to see the campaign on the Web.

A funny thing happened on the way to getting dressed

Allison Linn — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:00:00 GMT

In the newest ad for Levi’s 501 jeans, a guy opens up a box and takes out a new pair of jeans. As he pulls the pants on, the entire street below him magically rises into his apartment as well -- carrying with it an attractive stranger who happens to be standing in a nearby phone booth. The two exchange a meaningful look and walk off into the night, arms touching flirtatiously.

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll immediately think: Wait, who uses a pay phone anymore? But what’s really likely to get people’s attention is that the stranger in the phone booth is a woman in one version of this ad and a man in another.

The gay version of the ad is currently airing only on the gay- and lesbian-themed Logo channel, although Levi Strauss & Co. said it does have plans to air it on other cable stations with both gay and straight audiences.

Levi’s has done some limited marketing to the gay community since the late 1990s. Still, Robert Cameron, the jeans maker’s vice president of marketing, said he’s actually struck by the fact that the apparel company didn’t make a bigger effort, like this one, sooner.

“I think what’s surprising is how long it’s taken us to get there,” Cameron said. “Just to put (a commercial) on a gay-targeted channel like Logo that actually reflects the people who are watching it shouldn’t be such a radical notion. It really shouldn’t be.”

It is surprising that, in 2007, there are still so few mainstream companies making commercials specifically aimed at a demographic -- gay men -- that is known to have significant discretionary spending power. But even as gay TV characters and public figures have gained more acceptance, plenty of companies have faced considerable backlash for supporting gay causes.

Levi’s move isn’t so groundbreaking that the company can be lauded for changing the world, or even substantially challenging the status quo. But it should be given credit for doing what companies are supposed to do -- recognizing a market with more profit potential, and going after it.

Click here to watch the straight version of the ad and click here to watch the gay version.