It is through advertising campaigns that a product leaves its mark on the potential customer’s mind, so the advertisements must be ingenious, creative and authentic to the product being advertised. Fashion ads, unlike ads for clothing detergents or kitchenware, are always more artsy and have a special need for aesthetically pleasing imagery. If it does not have that, the director will need to show the product in a creative manner, compelling the audience to buy the product. Here are some fashion and beauty ad campaigns that every savvy collegiette should know about.
1. Adidas – “ORIGINAL Is Never Finished”
Product: New Adidas Originals clothing.
Concept: The creative directors featured popular modern icons and pioneers of skate culture, hip-hop culture, sports and social media together in an urban setting while wearing the clothes from the collection. To combine icons and new faces in the ad symbolizes how Original is truly never finished; just because there is a “new generation of creators” in the industry, doesn’t mean that the original essence of the pioneers will disappear. Many allusions to the classics are made, as Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man makes a cameo appearance. Also, the video features everyone singing a remix of Frank Sinatra’s – a true icon in the music industry – “My Way.”
Inspiration: Urban culture and more urban culture… They also chose an aesthetic that fits what Adidas was and will continue to be in the future.
Who starred in it: Kendall Jenner, James Harden, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Snoop Dogg, Desiigner, and many more.
2. Fenty Beauty
Product: You already heard of this one; anyone with social media has. Rihanna launched her new beauty line on September 8 and since then, our eyes can’t get enough. Personally, I have found myself mesmerized by the colors in the highlighters and the diversity in foundation shades. (There are 40 shades!)
Concept: The first video launched by the brand left everyone in shock regarding its diversity. Fenty Beauty does not overlook issues, like makeup companies not having dark enough shades, easily. Rihanna’s suave entrance to the makeup world was marked by the diversity in her campaign video.
Inspiration: Does Rihanna really need a muse? Is herself not enough? However, in all seriousness, she said in an interview that she wanted “every woman to feel included,” with no limits regarding the girls age, size, skin tone, religion, culture, etc. making Fenty Beauty “the new generation of beauty.”
Who starred in it: The queen herself: Rihanna and new-and-upcoming models, like: Duckie Thot, Slick Woods and Paloma Elsesser.
3. BALMAIN & H&M Collaboration
Product: A collection produced by fashion powerhouse, BALMAIN, and casual streetwear store, H&M.
Concept: H&M is known to collaborate with big haute-couture fashion designers, such as Jimmy Choo, Alexander Wang and Versace. However, the H&M x BALMAIN collab has been the most popular to date. BALMAIN’s boxy silhouettes and heavy decorating was given the accessibility that H&M provides. This isn’t the first time you hear about this collaboration since the Kardashians and Jenners promoted the runway show and wore the collection’s clothing in public, showing love to the fashion house’s creative director Olivier Rousteing.
Inspiration: BALMAIN’s creative director: Olivier Rousteing
Who starred in it: The BALMAIN Army, which includes Jourdan Dunn, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner
4. Dermablend – “Go Beyond the Cover”
Product: Dermablend’s Professional Leg & Body Tattoo products – heavy-duty makeup products made for covering up skin (and tattoos!)
Concept: Rico Genest, most commonly known as Zombie Boy, sits in a chair and begins to scrub the makeup from his skin, revealing his heavily tattooed body. Then, he is shown sitting in the same chair, while makeup artists diligently and successfully cover up his tattooed body with the product being advertised.
Inspiration: Rico Genest, a.k.a Zombie Boy
Who starred in it: Rico Genest, a.k.a Zombie Boy. The makeup artists deserve to be named secondary characters in the ad!
What are your favorite ad campaigns for brands you love? Let us know in the comments below!