Category Archives: Ads

Equinox Ads ‘Almost’ Committed to Feminism

Posted in Ads, Feminism, Pop Culture by

I love inventive ad copy with a message, and I instantly became interested in the bigger picture story behind Equinox’s 2016 campaign after I saw this ↓

Model Lydia Hearst—daughter of Patty Hearst, is seen dining at a luxurious restaurant, decked out in formal wear and bathed in diamonds while breast feeding twins. It’s a remarkable visual, shot by famed fashion photog Steven Klein with wonderfully unspoken visuals. The hazy mood lighting, the grand paintings in the distance, the beef tartare adroitly seasoned. Also, I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I also clocked in on the fact that latched-twin-on-the left’s (her right) nose also looks like  (**gasp**) a visible nipple.  

The ad speaks volumes about privilege and excess, yet shines a very authentic light on the demands of motherhood, despite the extravagant stage setting. To me it reads as a provocative pro feminist statement. My internal monologue is screaming “You Go Girl” as I skim over the COMMIT TO SOMETHING tag line. I also love when an ad can court controversy by mindfully bringing an important issue to light, like public breast feeding. Effectiveness? Check! 

Next, I randomly saw this ad↓

Bianca Van Damme

Actress Bianca VanDamme—daughter to Claude, is seen with a red feminist symbol painted on her chest and torso, fist in air, in a riotous not-gonna-take-it-anymore  militant stance. 

Again, I thought Equinox was promoting an unapologetic pro feminism narrative movement, and I wanted to see more!

Cue the record scratch.

Yeah, I was wrong. What I thought was a deliberate series of empowered out-of-the-box feminist scenes, turned out to be as random as the way I saw these ads roll out.

Upon further inspection, I saw that there was no such ‘movement’— the only connective tissue being a fascination with bare chests and a belief in Nordic sexy-as-hell Aliens?

Equinox, Like your tag line suggests, you had the chance to COMMIT TO SOMETHING?!

Instead, you fell for EVERYTHING, and stood for NOTHING!

Still, you got people opinion vomiting on the web and in that sense its an ad campaign win. 

Here’s to the ideation of ALMOSTS…

R.I.P.

XOXO,

New Crop

 

Ralph Lauren is Going to the Dogs (in a good way!)

This absolutely warms my heart!

Fashion label Ralph Lauren has a new campaign out in honor of Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog-Month. Titled ‘The Dog Walk’, rescue dogs take to the runway to present Ralph Lauren’s Fall Accessories Collection in collaboration with the ASPCA.

For every item sold in the collection Ralph Lauren will donate 10% of all sales to the ASPA!!

What’s truly great about the above video is that each dog shown is a rescue and ALL have already been adopted! What was also very thoughtful here was Ralph Lauren’s effort to highlight a beautiful Pit Bull as the last dog shown in the video, as they are so misunderstood and the most common breed to end up in shelters (Ruh Roh!)

I truly wish more brands would support rescue initiatives like these and don’t forget cats outnumber dogs shelters exponentially, so remember your feline friends as well!

FYI Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat-Month is in June which is a terrible month considering cats are most at risk during the winter, and if the shelters are filled, that means the kittehs that could have been rescued are still outside in the bitter cold (me-OWWW) ‘They’ surmise that June is when more kittens have been born because of feral cats being in heat, but I still think it’s totally backwards if you ask me–June is a great time to be outdoors (if you’re forced to be)

Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month Should Be in October!

Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month Should Be in October!

To adopt a pet in your area go to www.petfinder.com and in Canada you can contact www.spca.com

Save a Life!
Kudos Ralph Lauren!
XOXO
The Pop Culture Rainman™

Ad Titans Sid Lee, Absolut Vodka & Icona Pop all collab together for an Xtravaganza House Ball!

I absolutely adore when an ad house collaborates with multiple streams to create something so unique it *begs* to be noticed.

In this case, creative titans Sid Lee collaborated with Absolut Vodka and ‘It Girl’ group Icona Pop for a fusion cocktail of premium Absolut Vodka and a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand called Absolut Tune. The sparkly new concoction; which tastes a little like champagne with a dash of vodka, is obvs not champagne at all–but it looks absolutely yummylicious! 

The packaging and ornate glass bottle have a polish and sophistication that will be a huge hit with party-goers and house warming gifters alike, especially over thanksgiving weekend and X-mas. Again, the allure here is that for $31.95, it looks like a champagne bottle with an authentic wire cork, and you’ll probably want to save the bottle itself as a keepsake place to keep your spare change.

Absolut Tune

Absolut Tune

But I digress. I’m not here to ‘flog poetic’ about the product (unless I’m getting PAID—which I’m not)

The real genius here is in the marketing campaign!

The viral video which focuses on a modern New York House Ball is loosely based on the iconic documentary Paris is Burning–a chronicle of the 80’s Harlem drag and house ball scene that came out in 1990.  It was in this film that the audience was introduced to a profusion of terminology like ‘Realness,’ ‘Giving Face,’ Reading and a highly stylized dance called Voguing.

The fact that the “All Night” video is a narrative of the house ball scene, a music video and very subtle advertorial in one is where the magic lies.  I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing José Gutiérrez known as Father Jose (AKA Father Xtravaganza) featured prominently in this video.

No Way Jose!!!

No Way Jose!!!

Gutiérrez is a famed choreographer and a stalwart of the house ball scene, who at a young age had a brief cameo in Paris is Burning.

Gutiérrez also gained international acclaim when Madonna hand-picked him to be a principal dancer on her Blond Ambition tour and featured him in her video for “Vogue“.

To sum up; this is one of the best ads I’ve seen in recent memory. It’s authenticity and attention to detail makes the branding potential for Absolute Tune limitless, with ‘house party’ events already being planned with the likes of DJ’s Samantha Ronson and Solange Knowles in New York and LA.

Look out for Absolute Tune this fall.

I’ll drink to that!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The Pop Culture Rainman™