Did I F@*% Up My First Esquire Ad?
There are rules and guidelines for this sort of thing.
We’ve decided to do just about everything you’re not supposed to do in designing our first national in print advertisement. Given that we’ve broken just about every rule of the “fashion” industry so far, and I’ve gambled just about everything I have to build Mizzen+Main to be the next great American brand, why start following the rules now?
I’m painfully aware this is the most expensive, and potentially most rewarding, gamble yet — on a very public stage.
National in print advertisements cost a small fortune. Realistically, it’s a large fortune. To the brands that have several full page ads in each lifestyle magazine — Esquire, GQ, Vogue etc. — every month, the marketing dollars spent on these advertisements total millions of dollars a year, and that’s just the cost of doing business as a major luxury brand. There’s a formula to their marketing spend, just as there is a formula to everything they do “Innovation” is an oft abused word in the fashion industry and rarely actually seen. There are rules and it just makes sense to keep doing things the same way… right?
It’s probably time for context:
I launched Mizzen+Main two years ago introducing advanced performance fabrics to traditional menswear. Not exactly a by the book move.
Imagine the feel and performance your favorite athletic apparel that is indistinguishable from a dress shirt you would wear to a board meeting. I’ve been told I’m crazy by industry “experts” for years now. “Who would want that? No one will wear anything other than cotton,” I hear again and again. Undeterred, (though admittedly nervous at times for what I’ve staked my future on — I’ve wondered at times was I too early?), I pressed on. We’re now stocked in dozens of locations around the country, including Saks Fifth Avenue, and worn by NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and CrossFit athletes along with newscasters, musicians, and even Commanders in Chief. We’ve been profiled in publications from The New York Times and Men’s Fitness to Fast Company, Men’s Health, and countless style outlets including Esquire. I have been serious in setting out to build the next great American brand. Now, when it comes to the tactics and execution… it’s still a learning process, including placing our first national in print advertisement.
Ok, so about that formula. If you’ve ever looked at a lifestyle magazine, you know what advertisements look like, and honestly you can barely call them advertisements given they’re more a display in graphic design prowess. There are a few prescriptions to follow, and after studying hundreds of ads and seeing tens of thousands of them over the course of my life so far, I think I’ve figured it out.
The tried and true formula for a national in print lifestyle advertisement combines the following:
A) People
1) Model who has been photoshopped to not look like a real person in a bizarre pose wearing something that most people would never wear, despite a majority of the brand’s sales being more “normal” people clothing.
2) Posed object taking up the entire page, such as a watch.
3) A cliche. An overly done setup of that “classic” Americana couple. Or, a staged family at a log cabin on a lake or ski slope with what is almost certainly a golden retriever. You have to chuckle, while secretly thinking you may just want to be that couple or family too. (Admit it.)
B) Ad Background
1) Monochromatic backdrop clearly in a studio, you know, where people “hang out.”
2) A photoshopped creation that merges reality and fiction that could be an Andy Warhol painting or Jackson Pollack going to town on an Architectural Digest magazine.
3) That sweet, sweet log cabin that a part of all of us secretly want to spend at least a day at because, come on, “that could be me!”
C) Logo Layout
1) Obnoxiously large.
2) Obnoxiously small.
3) No logo, because we’re so good we don’t even need to tell you who we are.
D) Text layout
1) No additional text (a popular choice).
2) List of fancy cities, preferably more international than American.
3) A faux tagline like “Challenge Everything.”
*Note: the one thing I didn’t include is fake editorials that look like articles. No one believes you. No one.
There must be a universal agreement somewhere that says the formula of picking one choice from A — D above is the only way to place an ad, because I honestly don’t think I’ve seen anything different than this!
I’ll be honest, some combination of that formula was pretty much what our first draft looked like. Why? Because that’s what you’re supposed to do! Yes, it was beautiful. Yes, it was consistent with design standards seen in these publications. Yes, you would have flipped right past it, and every dollar I spent on that ad would’ve been wasted. Nearly every ad in these publications is not trying to introduce people to a new brand (let alone a revolutionary product), but rather just reinforce brand perception of superiority and luxury.
As the team kicked it around, we realized it was 1) boring 2) inconsequential and 3) would have been a complete waste. What to do? Just as we did with starting the company, ignore the “industry” when necessary, take proper cues from those we admire, and forge our own path.
Let’s take a look at exactly how we’ve violated all rules.
The Title:
Introducing the Performance Fabric Dress Shirt
This is critical to set the stage. “Introducing” because we’re doing exactly that. We have brought this concept to life where it did not exist before. People like being innovators, they like being early on the next big thing. “Performance Fabric Dress Shirt” — there’s no more succinct way to sum up what we are bringing to life, and given people’s love of Nike, Under Armour, Reebok, and lululemon, the idea of translating this to the world of dress shirts (something most men really don’t love) is an exciting possibility. From here, with very little verbiage, people can grasp what we are and why it’s different and important.
The Picture:
Brian Hartline in a stadium
Brian is a starting wide receiver in Miami and both a real person (not a model) and a well known and respected athlete. A majority of our customers are sports fans, regardless of the sport, which helps us connect with them in a genuine manner. It’s obvious we aren’t a big brand with millions in a sponsorship budget, so Brian’s presence is much more meaningful. We all know what cars athletes really drive, despite the commercials that claim otherwise. Furthermore, he’s in a stadium, a universally appreciated location by American men. We’ve all dreamed, at some point, of catching that pass or making that big play under the lights, winning the big game. That’s inspirational. Oh, and he’s wearing our clothes that haven’t been photoshopped.
Our Logo:
Our signature double nested M
I’m incredibly proud of our logo. Let’s have people see it and appreciate it. Our tagline, “Tradition. Evolved.”, sums it up nicely. We’re bringing innovation to refined menswear. We respect and appreciate heritage and tradition. Innovation is not a bad thing, in fact it’s a really great thing. Two words bring it all together.
The Infographic:
The most beautiful way to explain a concept
To say that I fought my Creative Director on including this is an understatement. Our shirt is so fundamentally different we simply have to describe it in an engaging manner to educate people who have not yet come across our brand or product. It’s simple, easy to read, and beautiful. It is indeed far more information than is ever included in a lifestyle publication ad, but I believe it is necessary and will be effective.
The Footer:
Close it up and call out our e-commerce site
Moisture Wicking. Wrinkle Free. American Made. These three succinct points nail home our major differentiating points with our website for those who are glancing at the bottom of pages as they flip through the magazine.
The Full Ad
In all its glory
It needs to be said that of course I have tremendous respect for many of the brands that do advertise, in this manner, their lifestyle brands in very traditional ways. They advertise this way because it’s what the industry does and for many of them, it works. We’re doing something fundamentally different, and thus need to take a fundamentally different approach to engaging an ever distracted world.
That’s where we stand. The December issue of Esquire hits newsstands in a few days, and as you can imagine, I’m both incredibly nervous and very excited.
Let me know what you think! Do you do things differently too? Share this out, please hit “Recommend”, and let’s spread the word that we upstarts can shake up any industry, even when approaching a traditional means of doing something in that industry.
