Emotional Branding

Jeans have been a part of American culture for many decades now, dating all the way back to the California Gold Rush. The hard working miners of California needed tough and durable trousers that would not wear or tear while digging for gold. Thankfully, a German immigrant by the name of Levi Strauss came to America to sell his fabrics. If it had not been for him, blue jeans would not be the American icon they are today. Although first constructed for workers, it did not take long for jeans to become a popular fashion item. It started with just the solid blue denim but nowadays you have different colors and fading styles, different fittings such as skinny or baggy, and a huge range of prices. You stroll down the street today and about fifty percent of the people you see are wearing jeans. As jeans started flying off the shelves to different crowds, advertisers had to rethink their ways and target a new audience. The question is what audience should be targeted and how should it be done. On one hand companies could go with the option of advertising the durability and reliability of their product to adults who are looking for a long lasting product. On the other hand they could advertise the sleekness and sexiness of their jeans by modeling them on gorgeous women to target a young crowd who want to have what they see. The initial idea of jeans seems so simple and practical, yet Corporate America has been able to manipulate advertisements over the years to create a certain lifestyle around jeans and give them an edgy sex appeal.

One example of a trendy lifestyle that companies try to build around their clothing is this jean advertisement from DKNY. When taking a first glance at the DNKY advertisement, it seems like a simple jean ad. There is both a man and a woman walking down the street to portray the style of jeans for each gender. It simply does not end there. The two people are dressed in what looks like work attire but they also look young and trendy, aging anywhere from mid twenties to early thirties. They could be on their way to work but it is not fully clear where they are headed. They are close to each other but they are not holding hands or making any other physical connections. The man is standing slightly in front while the woman is behind with her hands in her pockets. They are on a New York City street as displayed in the upper right hand corner. There are tall white pillars behind them, showing a wealthier side of New York. The time of day is difficult to determine based on the lighting of the picture. Since they are wearing DKNY clothing, it is obvious that they are doing well for themselves. The man wears a blue oxford shirt with a black tie, a shiny wristwatch, black dress shoes and a pair of DKNY jeans. He is carrying a newspaper and a handbag with what looks like a light jacket draped over the bag. He has sort of a slight smirk on his face while the lady does not seem to show emotion. She wears her hair down with a large pair of glasses that covers most of her face. Her clothing consists of a white tank top with a tan jacket overtop, a small purse on her shoulder, low gold heels and of course a pair of DKNY jeans. There seems to be quite a few things going on in this picture. DKNY did not put all of these details in their ad by mistake, but what could be their intention behind what is displayed?

What could be the reason why these two are dressed the way they are? Well the advertisers obviously had to put a pair of DNKY jeans on the models to show their product, but it goes much deeper than that. For example, the shirt that the man is wearing is awfully tight. Could this be a hint at his sexuality? Could he be gay? The advertisers want you to answer these questions in which ever way convinces you to go out and buy DKNY clothing. Some women may like to entertain the thought of him being gay because it shows that not all ads today revolve around sex and that DKNY is a more sophisticated company. Other gay men who see this ad may also like to think of him as being gay because they see how good he looks and they want what he has. And for the men and women who think that he is straight; they have their own reasons for wanting to buy DKNY jeans. The men want the stylish look, the money and of course the girl. The women want the same exact thing but from the other end of the relationship spectrum. For now the question is up in the air of whether they are romantically involved or just two friends who are strolling down the street. Whatever makes the viewers buy the product is what the advertisers want, and having multiple viewpoints for this ad is very clever on their part. As for the woman in the photo, she attractive yet dressed very respectfully. This strategy reaches out to both female and male viewers. This may show women viewers that DKNY is for classy ladies who do not want to be revealing but still want to look good. This also draws attention from the male viewers for obvious reasons of wanting to be with her. As I mentioned earlier, the man is wearing a tie and dress shoes and is also holding a handbag. This could be suggesting that he is on his way to work, which adds to the look of success. Advertisers may also want you to think that DKNY jeans are upscale enough to be able to wear to work in the fast life of living in NYC. All of these situations can be interpreted simply on the way the two are dressed. What could be some of the intentions from other details in the photo such as the location or how the two are portrayed in the picture?

The two are walking down a street in SoHo, a neighborhood in New York City. This neighborhood is a very artistic district and is known for its upscale shopping selection. For the viewers that are familiar with the area of SoHo, basing this ad there is DKNY’s way of saying that they can compete with the other upscale shops in the vicinity and that they are a cut above the rest. I think this is a very good strategy for reaching out to wealthier buyers. It can really grab the attention of consumers who have plenty of income to spend and who want to be part of the “in” crowd. It is no secret that people will pay more for a product that is regarded as a luxury item when in reality it is not much different from the rest. This mindset of buyers really works in DKNY’s favor. The more luxurious advertisers can make their product seem, the more they can boost up the price and the more people are willing to pay.

With all of these examples of emotional branding, it is easy to see why companies put so much thought and effort into each ad. It is also easy to understand why consumers fall so easily into the grasp of companies and are persuaded to continuously buy products from them. As advertisers gain further knowledge of how consumer’s minds work, they will improve on creating ads that can be viewed from many different standpoints and be able to reach out to more and more people. Plenty of companies have been able to create a lifestyle around their product and DKNY is well on their way to doing so.