Flawless or unique?

While performing a competitor analysis for a yet-to-launch fashion brand in the US, I happened to go through some campaigns (and activations) that tend to break the norms and increase comfort levels of consumers.

Romancing with flaws
Pegging on imperfections, Diesel had coined their latest mantra - Go with the flaw - in September, last year. It was introduced in a big to inspire generations to accept and take pride in their imperfections.

At a point in time when the world is chasing to being perfect and flawless, a positioning like this not only resonates with millennials but also triggers a sense of reassurance that there is still someone, somewhere, who embraces imperfections (and so should you). And the fashion brand does it in the most stylish way possible.

In the activation film of this campaign, Diesel narrates how boring it is to be perfect and how our flaws and imperfections make us unique. Titled ‘Keep the world flawed’ the advert has a quirky underlying story of imperfections. It shows how one cannot escape imperfections and how our imperfections make us unique.

The ad shows a young man who does all he can to hide the flaws in his life (starting with the size of his elephant-sized ears). It shows him chasing a perfection that the world has imposed on his subconscious mind. The boy falls in love with a girl (who too chose to go off with her imperfections).

The beautiful love story progresses, and the result leaves the couple (and the viewers) to introspection. For those wondering what the imperfection was? It is the child born to the couple; it is born with big ears (like the dad) and a big nose (like the mom). The ad concludes with the couple happily embracing their baby.

The message was simple - one cannot do away with their imperfections, they are our personality traits which are stronger than our attempts to get rid of them. Conclusion? Why do away with the flaws? Why not embrace what makes you unique.

As strong and as unique as the advert was, it rightly justified and reinforced Diesel’s latest mantra - Go with the flaw. The advert was launched to mark the arrival of the brand’s 2018 Spring Summer Collection, which is inspired by self-expression and uniqueness.

As unique as the campaign is, it has launched some extraordinary activation channels. For instance, the campaign has a website named bluffet.com (a restaurant with no cooks), which leads you to a website where you cannot book a table, but access some delicious recipes to try at home. The landing page has Diesel’s branding and the campaign slogan - Go with the flaw - in its footer.

Verdict: The perfect imperfection.