With all the recent hype about 3-D movies, it didn’t take long for the fashion world to add another dimension to its advertising.
A|X Armani Exchange is among the first fashion companies to create a 3-D ad campaign that encompasses print, outdoor, a music video and an interactive online component on its Web site. The 3-D print ads, along with 3-D glasses, will appear in the September issues of GQ, Interview and V magazines.
“Our customers live in cities, are very wired and are early adopters,” said Tom Jarrold, chief marketing officer of A|X Armani Exchange. “A survey we did showed that half our customers had an iPhone or a BlackBerry two years ago.”
At the campaign’s core is a two-and-a-half-minute 3-D music video, directed by Manny Miranda. The video is motorcycle inspired and was filmed at a Brooklyn soundstage to create a futuristic, urban-looking environment. Called “2020/Speed Style,” the video shows a guy putting on a leather jacket and motorcycle gloves and getting on his Ducati motorbike, escaping from the fiery streets above and taking refuge in a mysterious urban underdome, where he meets a beautiful woman. He strips off his jacket and leather belt, she takes off her jacket, and they start caressing and making out. The video features a soundtrack by Body Rockers, an electro-techno-rock group. The print ads were shot by Matthew Scrivens. The cast members are Tamiris Souza Freitas and Arthur Sales.
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Armani Exchange is encouraging consumers to get the 3-D glasses in the magazine and then go to the Web site’s A|X:TV to view the video. A|X:TV, which averages 285,000 views a month, is an online entertainment network that has several channels of original programming, featuring ad campaign shoots, season trend segments, DJ interviews and celebrity events. The campaign also will be featured in store windows, on video screens in the top 10 markets in North America and international markets. In addition, a 3-D image billboard on the Long Island Expressway will be mounted in September. The company is inviting customers to create their own ads with 3-D effects on Armani Exchange’s Stylepad online.
Jarrold declined to disclose A|X’s budget for the 3-D campaign, but said it was up more than 10 percent from last year. Besides New York, outdoor ads will go up in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A|X also will sponsor a sweepstakes where a customer can win a Ducati Superbike, motorbike riding lessons and a $1,000 Armani Exchange biker-chic wardrobe.
Regular 2-D ads will appear in magazines such as Elle, Glamour, InStyle, Nylon, Out and Details. A|X Armani also will sponsor Electric Zoo, a music festival at Randall’s Island on Sept. 4 and 5, where the music video will be shown.