It isn´t often that a fashioncampaign is getting my attention, but when it happens it is always because I learn something and magic appears -and that is exactly what happened when I saw Guccis new prefall2020 campaign. OMG!! So let me introduce you to all the golden visdom Gucci is giving us through their latest campaign.
Consumer needs served on a plate
Fashion is not about clothes, bags or shoes. It is about dreams and desires. It is about all the things we are logning for. When we look at a campaign, it isn´ the product we fall in love with. It is the energy, the feeling and the universe the brand is presenting for us. We can imagine ourselves in this dreamy life. We can almost smell it, feel it and touch it. It feels real. If we want to understand what the world are craving for right now and what the consumer needs of tomorrow will be like, Gucci is showing it all in their latest campaign. Take a look right here:
What are the consumer needs of tomorrow?
So what do we learn from this campaign? It is showing us a dreamy world full of nature, young people and forrest animals like deers, squirrels, frogs, ducks, rabbits and hedgehogs. We almost get the Disney vibes! Which actually leads us to an important fact: Many of us are longing for childhood.
We want to become kids again. Kids with no worries, playing all day long, being creative and just having fun. The world has never been more serious than it is right now. We are in the middle of a pandemic crisis. The economy is going down, people loose their jobs and the younger generation is depressed about future. We all want to rewind right now. Not just our age -but also the situation the world are confronted with.
What is the music telling us?
Music and sounds are playing a bigger role than we think. When the music achieves to support the visual feeling -a movie or a campaign hits a whole new level. This is what happens in the new Gucci campaign. When I sat down to analyse the music, I wrote that the vibes where a mix between Nick Cave, something dark, something psychedelic, something french, something avantgarde and something spiritual -and I guess it wasn´t completely wrong.
In 2003 The Daily Telegraph said that the song ” Some velvet morning” -written and performer by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra (in 1967) was one of “the strangest, druggiest, most darkly, sexiest songs ever written. Ambitious, beautiful and unforgettable”. And that is excactly the feeling Gucci wants to give us, as a consumer. They want us to fall in love with them. and they want to seduce us. They want the brand to get under your skin, and that is possible if they manage to give us a strong positive feeling.
Branding is basically about neuroscience and how to trigger the human codes. If you know which buttons to use -you will succeed. And right now it is very clear that the consumer is living in a world with fear and anxiety -and therefore wants to enter a world of fairytails and playgrounds instead.
Future fashionbrands will serve a greater cause
If you want to play a bigger role within fashion of tomorrow, you need to take a look at your contribution to the world. What do you do, besides selling clothes, bags or shoes? What is your contribution? How do you engage with the world around you? Is it all about money, or is there something out there you want to fight for?
Guccis seems to get the point. Fashionbrands of tomorrow will not only sell products, they will play an important role: They will create a better world through consumption. Gucci has decided to support Lions sharefund, who protect endangered species and their natural habitats. This is shown through their latest campaign, where they have teamed up with all the animals of the forrest.
#1 Branding lesson of today
So what is the most important thing we can learn from Gucci today? That is the fact that branding, adds, campaigns and social media presence isn´t about the products. It is about the feeling you give your consumer. It is about the universe you are creating and the life you offer through your products. So what do you offer? Which life does the consumer get -when buying your product? That is the question we should all ask ourselves -as brand owners. What are we here for? What is our contribution?