I hate ugly
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Can we add a corollary " ............so do ugly "
I am a naivete vis a vis the fashion world. May be it is a reason why I am unable to appreciate the recent Ad by the Allen Solly.
The visual carries a bold message 'I hate ugly' and the copy says
"who says I have to like things the way they are ? What doesn't look good to me, I change"
The self assertion of the girl implies to convey that
'if a particular attire is not to my liking, I have the liberty to choose what I wear; (and in this context) Allen Solly provides the new range of casuals'
.....the message is terribly off the mark both in the visual and the Copy.
Why ?
The popular adage is "Eat for yourself and Dress for others".
When it comes to attire what I like need not look good on me. This is true for most of us irrespective of age or sex.
Thus the self assertion of the girl hardly matters to others. If she chooses to dress in a particular way it is her choice. It is for others to say whether it suits her or not. Here self assertion does not take her to any new heights.
A half page Ad in a Sunday Special edition, sans Allen Solly's Logo, seem to deliberately made out as an eye catcher. But then there are plenty of ways to catch the eye, why an Ad like this !!
I hate Ugly
--------------------------
Post script :
"who says I have to like things the way they are ?
We don't know . Is it your mom Dad or brother, any uncle, aunt or teacher ?
What doesn't look good to me, I change
By all means please do as long as it is your property and you don't trespass in to someone else's territory.
9 comments:
Kabeer: Two bloggers having a post with the same title. Wow. Its just nice to think that two people can choose to write on something similar and to top it all use the same title! We are not as unique as we think, after all. Nice reading another post which has the same title as my post.
Thanks Susan,
//Two bloggers having a post with the same title//
..after all it is a borrowed title isn't it ? :)). True, we seem to have chosen to write about it almost simultaneously.
Keep sharing your views. Thanks
It's quite amusing that you would refer to "a popular adage" to make a point about a campaign that clearly wants to scrap general truth and breed personalisation; albeit in a very generalised and corporate way.
As for the adage, and therefore your point, welcome to today - where people dress as a form of expression. You are what you wear.
So although the ad isn't by any means excellent, it makes a valid point, and hopefully this bleeds into changing more than just the way people dress.
Thanks Ashim
You are welcome to have your point of view. I have no qualms about it.
However, for the sake of readers who may see this Post in future, I wish to state my points on certain aspects referred by you.
1) // It's quite amusing that you would refer to "a popular adage" to make a point...//
I don't know why one should find it amusing for referring an adage to make a point. That apart, I have come across several instances where expensive dresses that were purchased with much expectation and fondness later dumped just because someone happen to pass some adverse comments about them. Whether you believe the adage or not this is a fact of life in many families.
2)//.... a campaign that clearly wants to scrap general truth and breed personalisation; //
Aiming to 'breed personalization' is okay. But what is that being referred as "scrap general truth" ?; does it mean that everything is Ugly at present ?
3) // ".....you are what you wear." //
which relies on contemporary trend; not a Path Breaker !
4) // "...it makes a valid point, //
I fail to see any valid point
Probably as an average reader I would have liked the campaign with a punch line something like..
"I am a trend setter"
"I create my own world"
"I only go by the Best"
all of which equally emphasize personalization without any negative "hate" sentiments.
Thanks for you feedback.
Kabeer, this is very important: you cannot break my sentence up into two pieces and reply to them individually. You have wreaked my sentence entirely, therefore seeming to counter my point.
Funnily enough, you are getting me to back a campaign I don't particularly like.
Lastly, there's something to be said about brand image and target markets, and the tag-lines you've suggested might have worked 20 years ago on a very conservative brand that want to feel youthful. Allen Solly here, is aiming for a gritty, disenfranchised 20-somethings who want a false sense of attitude.
Oh! And you really should let your blog comments receive instant publication. In the spirit of web 2.0 that blogs are build on, this works on the power of people visiting your site. If you read everything that people write and then approve it, you're saying you only want people's opinions if they fit into your idea of appropriate.
Having said that, it is completely legitimate to remove comments that do not fit your targeted rating.
This is, of course, a suggestion.
Thanks Ashim
As I had said in my opening sentence I am a 'naivete' to fashion world nor am a man of Ad world. Hence much of the terminologies(like brand image, target markets,tag-lines...gritty, disenfranchised 20-somethings etc) don't make big difference to me.
Facts of life are simple.
If there is a scope for misunderstanding the communication has not been effective.
This is critical not only for the Ad-World but also true when we speak or write.
Thanks for bringing a lively discussion.
@ Ashim
The purpose of comment moderation is to control spams. Or I have to put word verification which does irritate many.
//If you read everything that people write and then approve it, you're saying you only want people's opinions if they fit into your idea of appropriate //
As you can see I am not flooded with Feed backs to really consider about whether People's opinion fit with mine or not. :))))
I shall implement your suggestion if this blog ever reaches that level. Thanks
I agree with this:
If there is a scope for misunderstanding the communication has not been effective
but you're missing a small point. It only has to be understood by the people it's directed at. Everyone else can misunderstand as much as they like. They're eavesdroppers, and as such are of very little importance to the campaign. If you used to buy a lot of Allen Solley, and you won't any more, they might need to rethink their brand!
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