Hails & Fails – April 4th 2024
The long bank holiday weekend is over and we’re slowly waking up from our Easter chocolate food coma. But April is looking far from sleepy with some fast, fresh thinking.
Levi’s showed us why they’re never going out of style, easyJet did some blue-sky thinking and Heinz jumped on a trend. Adidas on the other hand were forced to apologise for a design error.
HAILS
Levii’s
American denim brand Levi’s jumped on the back of Beyonce’s new album Cowboy Carter this week to remind the world of their legendary status.
The global superstar’s new country album includes a song called “Levii’s Jeans” with lyrics that refer to the wardrobe staple, “Boy, I’ll let you be my Levi’s jeans so you can hug that a** all day long.”
To react to the shout out, the brand has added an extra “i” to their Instagram name – matching the title of the song.
Rebecca Cohen – Head of Social, Influencer & Content: “Levi’s is a heritage fashion brand, but this week they proved their cultural relevance by nodding to Beyoncé’s new album. They’re officially part of the Beyhive, alluding to the double i’s throughout the album song titles, and claiming the reference within lyrics as their own. Genius.”
“This is your billboard talking”
easyJet launched a “talking” billboard featuring a real-life pilot sat in cockpit attached to the build, ready and waiting to talk to young recruits walking past!
The idea aims to encourage young women to consider a career as a pilot after research found 47% of young girls believe a pilot is a job for a man, with 41% never having seen a female pilot.
The interactive campaign is just another example of easyJet making PR look easy.
We’re clapping at the end of this flight!
Jess Redfearn – Midweight Creative: “This is a perfect example of a “why didn’t I think of that?” idea! So simple, but something I’ve never seen before. Also love how interactive it is. I’d love to walk past it!”
Heinz phone case
Heinz tapped into pop culture by creating a beautiful, bright red phone case to hold a single sachet of tomato ketchup – a replica of the viral Rhode lip gloss phone case that the beauty world lost its mind over!
We want one!
Mariella Cunningham – Senior Influencer Executive: “I love brands that are quick to jump on pop culture trends, showing initiative and personality. Hailey Bieber’s viral Rhode lip gloss phone case turned heads and grabbed attention with their simple but effective campaign and there’s no doubt that Heinz did the same with this reactive campaign – perfect for ketchup lovers on the go!”
FAILS
Adidas penalised
The German football team has been forced to redesign their new No 44 kit amid claims it resembles the symbol used by Nazi SS units, just months before Germany host this summer’s European Championship.
The team’s official supplier Adidas has confirmed an immediate resign and reassured the public that “people from around 100 nations work at adidas, our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively campaign against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence, and hatred in all forms.’
Rachel Milligan – Associate Director & Group Head Greene King: “In the aftermath of the furore over Nike’s ‘playful update’ to the St George’s cross on the England shirt, it’s a shame to see once again oversight to a national team shirt design.”
“While Adidas have moved to distance themselves from the controversy, moving swiftly to remove the number 44 from their purchase options – it serves as another stark reminder to all marketers the importance of awareness and understanding when it comes to cultural implications – not just in design but in the approval process that follows.”
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