The 2008 Grand Prix winner in the Press category was a campaign for Energizer Batteries. With the proposition of ‘never let your batteries die’, it was a cheeky view of what could children be up to if they didn’t have their toys. If that was chalk, this year’s Grand Prix winner is cheese, in terms of the idea & execution. The Energizer one was sweet in it’s idea and execution and told a story well. This year’s Grand Prix winner is not your usual print ad and will perhaps be debated if it really deserved the big award.
Agency: Fred & Farid, Paris, where you can see all the Wrangler ads.
By way of ‘explanation’, this is what the agency said about the campaign:
“In today’s society, our animal instincts are smothered by daily modern life, city-living and constant technological developments. Man is an animal, but he no longer knows it. ‘We Are Animals’ is more than a campaign signature. It is a statement of truth and long-term value for the brand that will be taken up for use by all countries. It is a reflection of the new vision of the Wrangler brand, repositioning itself through instinct and emotion. Each campaign will run across Europe, and will develop, substantiate and deepen this statement, reminding us that we are, before all else, animals.”
Never mind the explanation, the campaign does have an eerie, even creepy air about it. It is different from the usual fashion ads in that sense. Diesel too has a track record of ‘different’ ads but this one is unlike anything seen before in this category? The subliminal cues could be: rugged, animalistic and hence tough & long lasting (?). Maybe they weren’t even thinking on these lines. But is being different or ‘disturbing’ even, reason enough for a Grand Prix? Me thinks not.
What did you make of the Wrangler stuff?
3 Comments
Linking our basic animal instincts with something as basic as jeans is an awesome fit! Love the campaign- deserves the Grand Prix for sure! Come to think of it this campaign has everything a jeans campaign should have- the half naked women clad in the rough and tough jeans, but maan, what a twist here!
I was delighted when I saw this campaign. Finally a denim brand stood up for what denim originally symbolizes. Just yesterday we were talking about how the essence of true denim lies in the rugged unwashed and raw look. Wrangler totally hit the spot. Makes you feel so superficial to own those “slim fit” jeans when all you wanna do is slip on those tartered pair of jeans and feel plain jane and cool.Its rugged, its no-nonsense. Cosmopolitan’s and Vogue’s of the world, denim’s is not chic so stop labelling them snobbishly.
We need the return to innocence somewhere. But consumerism has blinded everyone.
Thanks George, Sneha. I think the Wrangler ads are different and ‘affect’ you in some way. But I was happier about the 2008 Grand Prix winner – Energizer because it told a story well.