Calvin Klein Gone Creepy

 

Creepy.....

I just want to ask....what the heck was Calvin Klein thinking?!? This is a legitimate ad campaign from the 90's and it got banned from airing on television soon enough. This campaign seems to have been built upon teenagers thriving in their sexuality. In each ad, there is a creepy director in the background trying to get the actors to say something sexy/sexual about their bodies, with I'm guessing, the hopes that people will see Calvin Klein jeans as the hot, sexy jeans to wear. I guess the initial idea of appealing to that specific audience seems like it could work at first, and that is probably why the campaign got signed off for a go. The way it was executed however was a complete fail, and the FBI even had to get involved to make sure nothing illegal happened during the filming of these commercials.

If Calvin Klein was aiming to make his jeans appeal to an audience who were building their idea of fashion around being sexy, there are definitely other ways he could accomplish this without being tasteless. Especially during the 90s there were female celebrities such as Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, Destiny's Child; and the up-rise of the  Backstreet boys, N*Sync, 98 Degrees. If Calvin Klein had a campaign of one or more of these individuals/groups sponsoring their brand, it would appeal to a wide range of people, not just simply to the "sexy" target audience. It would work though with that audience too though because yes, while these people were pop sensations, they were the new face of how everyone wanted to be. Britney was sexy, but at that point she was also classy as well; the same going for these other groups too. By having a celebrity sponsor such as these individuals, the campaign would appeal to more than just the narrow target audience of those wishing to be sexy, but many other teenagers and young adults in America as well. Calvin Klein needed to throw the pedophile interviews out of the window, and take a whole new approach, narrowing in on making individuals look like they can rule the stage just as the rising celebrities they looked up to during that point in time.

The Happiness of Coke

Coca-Cola is more than just a type of soda, it's a product that people from all around the world can associate with!

I love this advertisement for coke. It is such a well known product they don't have to describe it or say why it's better than the other sodas; the product speaks for itself. The commercial catches your attention from the very beginning. Bring in the music, and it becomes a party--people from all different ethnicities are then shown interacting with each other and having a good time. I know after watching that commercial it put me in a great mood and I just wanted to go get a coke! That is what I see as good advertising--appealing to the audience and make them want to go get that fun, exciting experience that can happen just from a coke. Coke brings happiness!

I Didn't Even Know!

Being from California, we have a Mormon prom every year. They go all out and make sure we have a great time. It's about 8 stakes combined and there are advertisements promoting it months before the actual prom. About a month ago I started getting a few texts and facebook messages from some friends from my home stake, and people I know who lived about an hour from me saying they saw me on the poster for Mormon prom! Needless to say I had absolutely no idea that they used my dance picture from last Mormon prom to advertise for this year's prom, so I was a bit shocked when I heard this and had my cousin send me a picture of the poster.

Even though I was completely surprised, it didn't bother me at all; in fact, it was a bit exciting! It's completely harmless and only going out to the Mormon community I'm sure, but it got me thinking about the issues that come up when celebrities have their photos taken and published without their consent. Taking photos of people and copyrite issues can become very complex and it's been interesting to have an experience to make me think about it first hand.

Head On- apply directly to the forehead!

  

Wow, talk about annoying right? If you watched this commercial enough though it could probably give you a headache and get you to go buy the product! Who knows if that was actually the intention while creating the ad, but by repeating the same sentence over and over, the audience definitely has that commercial now branded in their minds. Whether it is because of annoyance or not, critics say that bad publicity is better than no publicity! Think about how many dumb products become successful because of their out there or annoying commercials. People make fun of them all the time, but I own a Snuggie; that annoying commercial worked on me! And as dumb as a pillow pet sounds, I really want one of those too. I hear people mocking commercials all the time, but even though they're terrible commercials their name brands are being circulated around. Sometimes the more annoying the commercial, the more effective it will be!

The Orabrush

When my brother-in-law got my sister an Orabrush for Christmas I thought it was the strangest thing ever.....a brush just for your tongue... waste of money right?! Well, I looked up a video telling all about the product on youtube and it definitely caught my attention! It's a very comical video but sells the product using a very personal approach to advertising. After watching the video I see how the product has sold thousands and thousands of units, it's hilarious and really wants to make you buy the product! It has over 13 million views on youtube, so I guess you can say that youtube is more than just a channel to become the next big movie star, but it's also a great way of advertising a new product!