Wrangler is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. In honor of the occasion they have launched a new campaign called "For The Ride of Life." The video is styled by Heidi Bivens and narrated by Orville Peck.
According to the company they are staying true to the brand's authentic western roots while celebrating a diverse array of real people following their passions. (Gazdik, 2021)
You can view the video here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_UbnG0W720
Do you think they have been successful in communicating the brand's western roots? Do you know who Heidi Bevins and Orville Peck are? Who do you think the target for this ad is?
According to an analysis done by the Wall Street Journal in 2019, from 2004 to 2018, Democrats wearing Levi's rose by 3%, while Republicans wearing Wrangler's rose by 13%. Why? According to
Richard Edelman from Edelman PR, people are supporting brands that align with their values.
After an accidental shooting in a store, Levi's went all in on gun control. They are also environmentally conscious. Their labels read: Care for our planet, wash less, wash cold, line dry, donate or recycle. Those who chose to move to Wrangler's did so because they did not support these values. (Kapner, 2019)
Do you think that people watching this commercial know that Wrangler is affiliating with Republicans? Will they find out? How will that affect their reaction to the campaign?
Gazdik, T. (2021, September 20) Wrangler, Dickies Launch Upbeat Campaigns. mediapost.com. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/367091/wrangler-dickies-launch-upbeat-campaigns.html?edition=123717
Kapner, S. (2019, November 19) Are Your Jeans Red or Blue? Shopping America's Partisan Divide. wsj.com. Retrieved September 21, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-your-jeans-red-or-blue-shopping-americas-partisan-divide-11574185777
3 comments:
The American made Jeep Wrangler celebrates its 75th anniversary with a thirty second visualizer. Narrated by Orville Peck, a cis-white man from Toronto who wears a cowboy hat and does not show his face, the video seems to be grappling a larger question: “What is America?” or “Whose America?” The ad seems to display America as a place of Red, Blue and White, varied race and pleasure. The ad appeals to a man or women who is 18-32 years of age who likes the outdoors and the arts. The issue with the campaign is that it paints a filtered picture of America, one that is utopic, myopic and possibly Republican. I believe there are a semblance of visuals that support the idea that the Jeep Wrangler is affiliating with Republicans, and I do believe it will affect the public’s reaction at large.
I don’t consider a couple brief shots of a horse walking down the street as “connecting with their authentic western roots.” To me, it looks like they added that shot in because they felt like they had to and appears as more of an afterthought rather than the main theme of the commercial. I think the target for this ad is young adults ages 20-30 because 90% of the people in this video seem to be somewhere in their 20’s. They are really trying to attract the liberal Gen Xers and Millennials.
I don’t think most people watching this video will know that Wrangler is aligned with Republicans. I was in the fashion industry for over eight years and even I did not know that Wrangler was so heavily aligned with the right until now! It makes sense, because Levi’s seems to be a more popular and sought-after brand, especially with the younger crowd. Maybe this is why. In the world of Tik Tok and Instagram, I have no doubt that the people watching this video will eventually find out about Wrangler’s values. It will definitely affect their reaction to this campaign and the brand in general. As you mentioned in the post, people are supporting brands that align with their values. When young, liberal consumers find out the differences between Wrangler and Levi’s, they are more likely than not to choose Levi’s.
I assumed they would be intended to attract middle-aged customers before watching the ad, but apparently their target audiences are much younger than that; the ad's talents are mainly GenY or GenZ. The geographic group makes sense, but they also limit themselves in the rural or country areas. Obviously, they are trying to label themselves as a young, chic, fashionable brand to attract more youthful customers, and trendy brands are always more pricey and popular than comfy/ fast fashion brands.
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