Tuesday
Feb092010
What does this mean?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 11:23AM
Brooke got a Lucky Magazine (a shopping publication that primes your wife for an expensive trip to the mall) in the mail last week and found this baffling ad for Diesel.
I can't figure out the message here. Let's break it down: You've got a woman in her underwear taking a picture of her nether regions and a lion watching in the background. The copy says that stupid has balls, and then it encourages the reader to be stupid. So is the woman stupid? Is she photographing her...balls (gross)? What's up with the lion? Does this make you want to shop Diesel?
I've been paying attention to ads and marketing campaigns a lot lately thanks to my new job. I like trying to break things down to discover their message, to look for the images, words and cues that are supposed to make the consumer feel a certain way. Brooke showed me this ad and I couldn't get it out of my head. It makes me feel confused. What about you?
I can't figure out the message here. Let's break it down: You've got a woman in her underwear taking a picture of her nether regions and a lion watching in the background. The copy says that stupid has balls, and then it encourages the reader to be stupid. So is the woman stupid? Is she photographing her...balls (gross)? What's up with the lion? Does this make you want to shop Diesel?I've been paying attention to ads and marketing campaigns a lot lately thanks to my new job. I like trying to break things down to discover their message, to look for the images, words and cues that are supposed to make the consumer feel a certain way. Brooke showed me this ad and I couldn't get it out of my head. It makes me feel confused. What about you?
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Reader Comments (4)
Quote from Creative Ad Review:
"Jeans brands love a manifesto. Diesel has a new one, Be Stupid.
Summed up, the new manifesto basically sees 'stupid' pitted against 'smart', with smart in this context meaning stuffy, risk-averse, geeky, while 'stupid' means brave, daring, and creative. "To be stupid is to be brave, when you risk something, that's stupid," says the manifesto. "The stupid aren't afraid to fail. Why? BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID. We think that you are probably pretty stupid too."
I'm pretty sure its not about risks. Smart people are often willing to risk themselves on something they think will work. I think this is going more with a stupid = carefree message. Though the whole thing gets lost when you start wondering if that woman actually does have balls.
The whole ad would have been better IMO if it were a man and he was taunting the lion. Then it would have reminded me of all the stupid fun I've had and invoke a much more positive response.
This also makes me feel confused... and fat, even though I'm not. ADFAIL.
The ad is stupid and it took a lot of balls to print it. LMP