There’s something to be said for shock value, but many would argue it’s getting harder to make that kind of impact. After all, what did Madonna leave for Lady Gaga? Throw Britney in the mix and we’ve pretty much seen it all.
When it comes to marketing, we’ve experienced shocking (Calvin Klein), bold (Nike – Just Do It) and thought provoking (This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?), but it’s challenging to put that all together.
This morning I came across an example that accomplishes all of this and more, the Diesel ‘Be Stupid’ campaign.
Based on the fact that some of these award-winning ads have been banned, you may initially chalk this up as just another attempt to be shocking. That would be a mistake. While some of the imagery may be risqué, and you probably won’t agree with everything you see (I don’t either), this campaign is more about entrepreneurship and artistry then any fashion campaign I can remember.
‘Smart recognizes things for how they are, stupid sees things for how they could be’
‘Smart critiques, stupid creates’
‘Smart may have plans, but stupid has the stories’
‘Stupid isn’t afraid to fail, stupid knows there are worse things than failure’
‘Stupid is the relentless pursuit of a regret free life’
Sound familiar? The quotes in this Diesel video could have easily come from a Jason Calacanis rant on This Week In Startups, a Gary Vaynerchuk video blog, a Mixergy interview, a Venture Hacks post or an excerpt from Seth Godin’s book Linchpin.
Purchasing a $200 pair of jeans may not fit into The Lean Startup philosphy, but Diesel is clearly targeting the entrepreneur in all of us.
Does the campaign resonate with you or do you think it’s stupid?
Would you compare this to any other campaign that should be considered in the same discussion?