Stupid is as Stupid Wears

As mentioned in last week’s post, methods of advertising have switched in the past decade from the advertiser addressing the consumer to a two directional conversation between the two. Many advertising agencies are creating ad campaigns designed to grant the consumer a memorable experience of the brand with the hopes that it will make a deeper, lasting effect on the contemporary consumer’s short-term memory and invoke a sense of association with the brand which transcends its merchandise. The collective idea behind this method is not to sell particular products but the experience itself, something which holds long lasting value and loyalty for the buyer.

In coming up with an objective for this blog, I wanted to find a way to take advertising to a more personal level. As a modern consumer living in New York City, I, like most of my readers, am inevitably to advertising at every minute of my life. On my phone, on the subway, on Facebook, catching a taxi, walking down the street, my visual and audial perception, like yours, are inundated with culturally significant icons, typefaces, images, and sounds which are inescapable to the modern collective consciousness. The purpose of this blog strives to share my personal experiences with ad campaigns which I see around the city and discuss my own opinions of their concepts, visualizations, mediums, etc. Similar to how the dialogue between advertiser and buyer has been opened up, I hope to introduce a new conversation between us, from one consumer to another. 

The Diesel BE STUPID ad campaign is one of those campaigns that have been hard to shake off. The provocatively bold and capitalised slogans making such statements as "SMART MAY HAVE THE BRAINS. BUT STUPID HAS THE BALLS" begin to stick in the back of your mind, especially when one has to walk by the Diesel in Union Square daily to get to class. Created by Anomaly, an edgy, new advertising agency that was founded in 2004, the BE STUPID campaign seems destined for the progressive and unapologetically sexual nature of the brand's philosophy. Winning Anomaly a 2010 Cannes Grand Prix Award, the campaign has received both praise and condemnation from consumers alike. Picturing models in the midst of committing acts which are dangerous, illegal, and often down right stupid, the campaign encourages the youth to discard their inhibitions, have fun, and, essentially, not to give a F@!K while doing it. So, perhaps it's not the “stay-in-school” message you want to take home to your kids, but don't be surprised if they come home wearing a new "TRUST ME, I'M STUPID" graphic tee. 

Underlying its radical, danger-seeking message, BE STUPID appeals to the shopper that is tired of following the rules and is looking for a consumer experience which is radically different. Whether you love or hate it, you have to hand it to Diesel: the campaign is certainly eye catching and their stores hard to walk by without the tiniest curiosity to see what's inside.

My first, first-hand experience with Be-ing Stupid was on a rainy Sunday walk down Fifth Avenue last week. Feeling the rain begin to fall and looking around for a store to take shelter in, I was struck by Diesel's funky window setup equipped with a live DJ accompanied by two male models displaying paradoxical slogans such as "BE STUPID. Get out of the rain." Next thing I knew, a woman handing out fliers came up and offered me the chance to win $1000 if I were to divulge a winning stupid story inside. Intrigued by a pair of red & blue high-tops and the chance to undergo the STUPID experience, I ventured indoors to find that the in-store consumer experience was very much alive, with a photo both where one can confess their STUPID experiences on camera and the DJ seen outside playing the latest club hits. 

Diesel’s method of advertising is an experience meant to engage and captivate the consumer into believing that there is something particularly cool, special, or different about the brand. The shopping experience mirrors the brand’s commitment to innovation, edginess, and being over-the-top and I ultimately felt captivated by the energy of the atmosphere itself. Am I going to run out and buy a shirt stating that my natural endowment makes up for my low IQ? Doubtful. However, I did pick up that pair of high-tops I saw in the window on a whim. Whether it was a stupid decision or not remains to be seen...