OUGD503 - Studio Brief 2/Collaborative Practice
Research: Denim Campaigns
With a holistic understand of Gap as a brand and its company workings, I started more focused research relevant to the actual brief, Creating a new denim campaign for the brand was a good opportunity to revitalise the brand and help it appeal to a younger demographic however in order to do so I felt it critical to analyse a range of current denim campaigns from GAP and its competitors to understand how they target their audience and promote their product.
GAP, 1969 (2016)
Focusing on classic denim styles, Gap 1969 launched its spring 2016 campaign featuring essential jeans. Using contemporary models such as Fei Fei Sun, Malaika Firth and Julia to exude pure effortless cool in a mix of patchwork, distressed and boot cut styles. Using the hashtag #nothingbutdenim, Gap signals the return of a “great American jean”.
Looking at the campaign it has strong product photography but to me almost looks too fashionable for its audience, the grey background and neutral tones suggest a GQ/VOGUE aesthetic but this doesn't really reflect the customer as gap suggests they are bold and individual yet conforms to industry advertising which contradicts this. Although the actual photography is nice the campaign or image wouldn't stand out to the consumer and doesn't reflect the brands representation of the customer.
Promo Video
Topman, This is Denim (2015)
Cementing its position as a leading denim authority, this season TOPMAN introduces its largest denim offering yet ‘This Is Denim’ campaign. Launching across stores on the 24th September, TOPMAN is set to declare itself as the definitive denim destination. Each garment within the collection has been carefully crafted and edited to showcase the breadth of TOPMAN’s denim offering.
Aimed at a slightly younger demographic to GAP reaching for 15 -30 Topman's latest campaign puts a youthful take on their denim campaign, the diverging looks of the models create a nice balance with less strutted poses implying a more effortless contemporary cool to the highly structured poses of high fashion. This is extended through the campaign such as shoe-less models, edgy sets a sense of youthful rebellion.
With a holistic understand of Gap as a brand and its company workings, I started more focused research relevant to the actual brief, Creating a new denim campaign for the brand was a good opportunity to revitalise the brand and help it appeal to a younger demographic however in order to do so I felt it critical to analyse a range of current denim campaigns from GAP and its competitors to understand how they target their audience and promote their product.
GAP, 1969 (2016)
Focusing on classic denim styles, Gap 1969 launched its spring 2016 campaign featuring essential jeans. Using contemporary models such as Fei Fei Sun, Malaika Firth and Julia to exude pure effortless cool in a mix of patchwork, distressed and boot cut styles. Using the hashtag #nothingbutdenim, Gap signals the return of a “great American jean”.
Looking at the campaign it has strong product photography but to me almost looks too fashionable for its audience, the grey background and neutral tones suggest a GQ/VOGUE aesthetic but this doesn't really reflect the customer as gap suggests they are bold and individual yet conforms to industry advertising which contradicts this. Although the actual photography is nice the campaign or image wouldn't stand out to the consumer and doesn't reflect the brands representation of the customer.
Promo Video
Topman, This is Denim (2015)
Cementing its position as a leading denim authority, this season TOPMAN introduces its largest denim offering yet ‘This Is Denim’ campaign. Launching across stores on the 24th September, TOPMAN is set to declare itself as the definitive denim destination. Each garment within the collection has been carefully crafted and edited to showcase the breadth of TOPMAN’s denim offering.
Aimed at a slightly younger demographic to GAP reaching for 15 -30 Topman's latest campaign puts a youthful take on their denim campaign, the diverging looks of the models create a nice balance with less strutted poses implying a more effortless contemporary cool to the highly structured poses of high fashion. This is extended through the campaign such as shoe-less models, edgy sets a sense of youthful rebellion.
Calvin Klein, My Calvins (2015)
Calvin Klein is back with another one of its millennial-targeting, social media-friendly, kinda sexual mega-campaigns. For spring, the brand tapped big-name celebrities rolled out on their respective Instagram accounts and other social media (There is seemingly no limit to the ways in which the brand can utilize that #mycalvins hashtag.)
This campaign literally defines how to create advertising success with the use of brand ambassadors, targeted to specifically appeal to the target audience Calvin Klein uses big budget high profile celebrities to create a buzz around its new denim lines. Sex is definitely used to sell with the campaign using sexualised images and nudity to appeal to the audience. Looking back at the stages of youth from my research into the target audience feel this would be slightly less effective with the 25-35 demographic as they were the most content with their lifestyle and felt less desire to conform.
Extending beyond these three examples, all the denim campaigns I analysed used a similar format of dramatic high fashion photography of young attractive size 6 models to make the audience feel like "if I buy (brand)' ill look like that, be that happy, have celebrity status." I feel this isnt representative of the audience GAP talked about who are 'bold' 'independent' and 'diverse'. I would like to subvert these generic conventions of denim campaigns within the resolution to the brief and target a more boldly unique style. Social media is a good platform for this concept as it is more diverse and open to change than standard print campaigns.
No comments:
Post a Comment