So now it’s all out in the open, thanks to Wallis.. Men around Europe glance around nervously since the High-Street designer launched its ‘Dress to Kill’ campaign earlier this year. And never again can we feign innocence and indignation when we hear those immortal words, ‘I saw you looking at her’. . . Ravi-Gullit Beeharry & Andrea Mancuso, senior creatives in the UK for Japanese advertising giant, Hakuhodo, tell us how the repositioning of a clothes company created a campaign to die for

Successful fashion advertising has always been notorious for making bold and sometimes uncompromising statements. From Oliviero Toscani’s work for Benetton to Trevor Beattie’s campaign for French Connection, controversial fashion advertising has gained more publicity from appearing on chat shows and tabloids, than the billboards the ads were created for. And as they say in the industry, any publicity is good publicity!

These campaigns created a brand attitude, an attitude which their audiences can aspire to; thus a dream relationship between product and consumer has been born.

For this reason we feel identifying with the brand is essential for a fashion ad to succeed, and this is why we feel the Wallis Dress to Kill campaign works on many levels.

For years Wallis was a high street name associated with older, frumpy, safe designs. In a brave and powerful effort to relaunch themselves as a serious fashion name they launched the Dress to Kill campaign. Everyone sat up and took notice.

The Wallis campaign stylishly positions black humour with elegance. Considering the ads are not even targeted towards us (men), this emphasises how highly we regard this campaign. Beautifully art directed, and shot in a classic monochrome format, the ads have a distinctive individuality, but at the same time maintain a look which makes the campaign instantly recognisable.

What makes the ads work for us is the emotional relationship the campaign has with the male audience, even though Wallis is targeting women. The images have a certain deja vu quality, which men can associate with. We have all (most men...us anyway) been in a similar situation (maybe not as dramatic); a situation which is more frequent than we would like to admit!

What is also interesting about this campaign, is the role-reversal aspect, which isn’t evident enough in our industry. We are presented with a strong, affluent, almost arrogant female character who seems to ooze confidence and sexuality, a woman Wallis would say their target audience could empathise with. Significantly, Wallis creates this image of women, who love being strong, and even victorious. Their clothes reflect this attitude. The campaign shows the attitude, which is present in the Benetton, and French Connection campaigns, but manages to make that attitutde interact with the product. And after all, that is what they are selling.

We are endlessly presented with a constant barrage of fashion advertising. Campaigns which show the product, but lack an idea, or which promote the attitude but then fail to show the product. The Wallis campaign achieves a perfect balance of both, which is why “we wish we’d done that ad”.

Wallis: Dress to kill campaign

Ad agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty  Creative Director: Bruce Crouch & Graham Watson  Art directors: Steve Hudson & Victoria Fallon Copywriters: Steve Hudson & Victoria Fallon  Account Handler: Shazia Brawley  Marketing Executive: Fiona Davis

Source: Magazine World, issue 29