Ray Ban 'Never Hide' campaign (launched Spring / Summer 2007)

Big Fan. Huge. Love it.
Yup I’m that easy - an attention grabbing photo with a quirky caption and you have me at hello.

http://www.ray-ban.com

 

I'm with stupid....

Diesel Spring/Summer 2010 advertising campaign.
Love it.

http://www.diesel.com/be-stupid

8/2/10: Where are the Plus Size Men?

There’s been a furore over plus size female models, but what about plus size men? Have they been overlooked or are men just generally more accepted at a larger size?

http://runninginheels.co.uk/articles/where-are-the-plus-size-men/

 

The furore over the use of unrealistically sized female models is gradually abating as women are being represented in the fashion world in a more relatable way, which takes into account that there are more sizes than zero. For females, a plus size is usually anything over a UK size 18. Whilst the fashions worlds’ view of a plus size female is still slightly skewed they have at least taken steps towards altering the size and shape of females that they present to us. Please note the use of the word skewed though, as in the modelling world a plus size model is more likely to be represented by a size 14 model than an actual plus size model.

Nevertheless, these steps together with the continuing championing of a larger female size in the media, means that plus size females are no longer airbrushed out by the fashion or media industries. For evidence of the changes that have been wrought, look no further than V Magazines’ January 2010 ‘Size Issue’ with shots such as this one illustrating the mindset that big is beautiful too.

V Magazine's 'Size issue'

There’s no doubt that the media and fashion are now championing the plus size female cause. But what about the plus size men? A plus size man is generally defined as anyone over a size UK XL. The issue of the plus size man and how he is depicted in the media and fashion has not been raised in any significant way to date. A quick Google search yields none of the debate associated with plus size women so what does this mean? Have men been forgotten about? Or are men simply more accepted at a larger size?

Are men accepted at a larger size?

Men‘s size is not seen in such simplistic terms as women’s size. Until now women have been led to believe often believe that the size they need to be is the smallest size possible because the images that have been presented to them. However the majority of men do not have this fat / thin mentality. It would seem that being a plus size man does not carry as much stigma as being a plus size woman.

The reason there is less stigma attached to being a plus size man is that men are presented a different body ideal to live up to. This can be seen in the precedence of body shape over body size in the images presented of men. Although the body shape presented on the catwalks in usually quite thin, the ideal male body presented to us is not necessarily thin.

However whilst men may be seen as acceptable at a larger size, this too is limited to a certain sort of shape. Which is why you don’t see Kellogg’s promoting a ‘Little Red Suit’ challenge, but you do see stacks of health supplements calling to men from health shop windows touting promises like muscle gain.

However, the lack of plus sized men is not limited to the fashion industry, its spreads right across many different areas – two of which, advertising and entertainment, demonstrate that whilst men’s bodies may not be the subject of the intense scrutiny women are subject to, this is not necessarily a good thingfrom the perspective of making the fashion industry even more inclusive.

The Advertising Industry

A svelte Calvin Klein model

Plus size men are rarely seen in advertising. The way men are portrayed in advertising, as with women, has nothing to do with reality but rather the message advertisers are trying to put across and who they are trying to put it across to. So for example, L’Oreal Paris used Pierce Brosnan as the spokesperson for their male grooming range as he appeals to women and their husbands who want to be him. Ditto David Beckham and the Armani underwear ads. Plus sized men can be seen selling plus sized clothes in clothing catalogues but apart from that advertising, as always, perpetuates an image that is little reflection of reality.

Men on Screen

The entertainment industry is a good example of how larger men are depicted in the media. Men and women, for better or worse, are not portrayed the same way. In the media and films and many other areas of life, women’s appearance and size has always been focused on more.

The storyline of Shallow Hal was incredible to many because the plus size woman was considered to be beautiful by one man, albeit under the influence of hypnosis. However, the beautiful Katherine Heigl falling for a pudgy Seth Rogen in Knocked Up barely raised an eyebrow.

Heigl and Rogen in Knocked Up

So, plus size male models are inevitable?

The fact that men’s appearance is not as discussed a topic means that plus size men are becoming more and more marginalised by the fashion industry. The fat / thin stigma is the root of the plus size female model controversy and led to the subsequent acceptance of larger female sizes by the fashion industry. However, just because plus size men are not as stigmatised as plus size women, this does not mean they are any less marginalised.

Men have been overlooked because they haven’t demanded to be taken into account, and these industries aren’t going to automatically include them. The achievement of a plus size female model industry followed a battle hard fought and it will be the same for plus size men should they decide to take up the fight

8/1/10 - The Advertising Overload

Sick of advertisements? Who isn’t? We take a look at some of the more original ways that advertisers got us to pay attention to their products in 2009.

http://runninginheels.co.uk/articles/advertising-overload/

The bright lights of too many ads

We’re bombarded with advertisements practically every single waking moment of our lives. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that advertisers have been successful in raising awareness of their products. In fact, the more accustomed we are to advertisements the less attention we pay to them. Commercial breaks are an excuse for a cup of tea, magazine ads are flicked past, and billboards barely register on our conscious aside from being a colourful distraction as we drive along the motorway. Because of this, advertisers have been forced to consider different strategies to attract our attention. From offering jobs to simply entertaining us, advertising is becoming even more inventive and original. Here we take a look at a few of 2009’s memorable advertising moments.

Flash Mobs

The social craze of flash mobs has been hijacked by advertisers to promote their products. Using a flash mob as an advertising tool works because their primary function is to surprise and entertain thus grabbing consumer’s attention. Another reason that flash mobs are excellent advertising tools is that they tend to go viral within hours, or even minutes, of happening. T Mobile used this fact to their advantage by organising a flash mob in London’s Liverpool station last January in which 400 dancers, camouflaged within the crowd, broke in to a choreographed dance routine which can be seen here. News of the campaign, which appropriately enough had the tagline ‘Life’s for sharing’, spread immediately through the internet and the commercial aired on UK television the next day gaining valuable publicity for T-Mobile. Another memorable example of a flash mob used an advertising tool was 100 dancers performing ‘ Single Ladies’ at London’s Piccadilly Circus to promote the announcement of Trident gums sponsoring of a free Beyonce gig last April. The footage which can be seen here was diffused worldwide by consumers, successfully capitalising on both the flash mob craze and the success of Beyonce’s song.

Wannabe Beyoncés take to Piccadilly

Most recently, Fox television staged a flash mob in a shopping mall in Rome two days before the launch of Glee on Italian television. The stunt gained publicity not only in within the new market of Italy but with existing fans throughout the world for the amazing medley of songs from the TV show performed by the dancers.

I want that job

The 2009 Tourism Queensland campaign was another unique way to advertise a product – in this case the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The tourist board opened applications for a 6 month island caretaker position on Hamilton Island which was rent free and paid a wage of €150,000 to the lucky winner. The ‘Best Job in The World’ entailed living and working on Hamilton Island for six months whilst exploring the rest of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting back on them via the island caretaker blog. Nice work if you can get it! The campaign attracted worldwide attention with over 34,000 people applying for the job and many more talking about it. Another lesser known example of this style of advertising is National Railway Museum in York (England) appointing a train mad 6 year old as its ‘Director of Fun’ in August. The boy’s parents saw an advertisement for a new director of the museum and teased their son about applying. He then write a letter to the museum and museum staff were so taken with his letter that they appointed him their ‘Director of Fun.’ Yet another inventive way to attract the public’s attention, but this time by tugging on their heart strings. If only Cadbury’s had taken note that my dream job was to be a chocolate tester when I was younger…

Social networking

Ikea was another company to advertise in a unique way this year, this time through the medium of facebook. However rather than simply set up a facebook fan page and wait for people to become a fan they took a more inventive approach to promote the opening of a new store in Sweden.

IKEA hits Facebook

They created a facebook profile for the store manager who people were encourage to befriend. Then over a two week period, photos of Ikea showrooms were added to an album on his facebook profile. His friends were then invited to tag products in the photos. The first person to tag their name to a product on the pictures won it. Their photo tagging activity spread to their facebook newsfeed and though their posted links and comments thus letting more and more people know about the competition and consequently the opening of the new store. Through this ingenious use of the photo tagging system, Ikea made many people willing ambassadors for Ikea and their new store.

What next?

From flash mobs to jobs, advertising in 2009 was certainly different and only time will tell what 2010 brings. But one thing is certain; advertising is one industry that has no excuse for standing still in these recessionary times as advertisers are work harder to keep ensure satisfied and entertained customers. Who says recessions are all bad?