Ideas I love # 2: Balenciaga x The Simpsons
The Balenciaga and Simpson’s collaboration landed last weekend to roars of approval from Advertising Twitter.
I think @Cannes_Lions can just send the 2022 Titanium Grand Prix to Demna and Matt Groening already https://t.co/a6cfcKV9pt
— Tom Morton (@tommorton) October 2, 2021
Balenciaga seem to be on a roll at the moment, having just launched a tie up with Fortnite recently as well.
The 10 minute episode, used to launch their new collection is a thing of beauty… a brilliantly crafted piece of film, full of all the humour and cultural reference points you’d expect from the show (including Anna Wintour Cameo)… The stuff that has been built around the outside is no different. The lookbook illustrated in the style of the show is a particularly nice touch.
For a category that can, on occassion, feel like it takes itself very very seriously - it’s activations like this which are increasingly being used by luxury fashion brands to help reframe themselves in the cultural conversation to try and win over their next generation of customers. Similarly, Gucci are working incredibly hard through a variety of means to shift how they are thought of and to win over a younger luxury customer.
Driving relevance with new customers is hard work though - the recent efforts by Tiffany to shake off old, dusty brand associations and win with the next generation caused widespread debate over the summer. This idea makes it look effortless though.
As with my previous post on Netflix’s Drive To Survive - this piece of work shines because of the obvious care and commitment given to it’s execution as well as the almost microscopic attention to detail which means it’s neither diet Simpsons nor diet Balenciaga. As with so many great pieces of work - it’s not just having the idea, but having the time, stamina and commitment to making them happen.
