If the orgiastic mass of strongly interconnected bodies was not enough to make the point, the spit trail probably worked.
As predicted by a batch of new ads from a variety of companies, people must be prepared to mix – really mix – once millions of vaccines have been delivered to millions of weapons.
Men’s fashion brand Suitsupply launched a new campaign on Thursday that can be called suggestive if it leaves anything to be suggested. It shows poorly dressed bodies writhing and models kissing under slogans like “The new normal is coming”.
The ads can come as a shock to anyone who has become accustomed to a world of masks and social detachment. Not long ago, the notion of saliva was considered so stimulating that the KFC chicken chain abandoned its catch phrase “good lick your fingers”, calling it “the most inappropriate slogan for 2020”.
There were cheeky ads during the height of the blockade, such as a campaign by clothing brand IVRose for loot pajamas. But the PCs were perfect for the domestic culture of the quarantine, which means that they fit into the many commercials with melancholy photos of people separated by windows and glass doors.
With the latest crop of ads, companies are betting that people are eager for human contact.
“It is quite obvious that post-pandemic life is on the horizon,” said Suitsupply founder Fokke de Jong in an interview. “We made social distance for long periods of time and that conditioned people to be afraid of social interactions, which is totally understandable. But we wanted to show a positive vision for a future in which people can get together and get together again. “
The campaign, which will be widely broadcast online, was filmed in Europe with existing couples and following pandemic production protocols. De Jong hopes the ads will spark interest in Suitsupply clothes, which he says are not geared towards working at home.
“That time is coming again,” he said. “Let’s get rid of the sweatpants very quickly.”
Other companies are also betting that people will soon be more focused on their appearance. Urban Outfitters is seeing more demand for dresses and other “out-type” clothing. Gym registrations and body waxing appointments are on the rise.
Now, ad makers are bringing customers closer to the idea of a world where hugs and crowded parties are not out of place – although not without caution. Neal Arthur, the director of operations for the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, said that “each” of the company’s customers is seriously considering what is appropriate to show and when, now that the end of the pandemic appears to be in sight.
“Customers are all over the map now,” said Arthur. “It is almost like the acceptance phases. There is no light switch approach. Nobody is saying, ‘Let’s choose a day and bet everything’. It is an acceleration of preparation for when it will become clear that the prevailing feeling is that it is okay to go back to the world. “
Still, Mr. Arthur noted, an industry that depends on assessing public sentiment is in fact experiencing a “moment of optimism that it would be foolish not to communicate”.
Shapewear company Shapermint launched a TV commercial this month called “Remember to dress?” One shows a woman relaxing on her couch, who is persuaded by a more elegant version of herself to wear something other than soft pants. And Diesel has a hot new campaign, “When Together”, which features couples who are reunited after a long time apart.
In a recent announcement related to St. Patrick’s Day, the Guinness beer brand featured the great footballer Joe Montana offering a “toast to our future”. “This is the return of the boy that exists in all of us,” he says.
But even as vaccinations have increased and employers have solidified plans to return to the office, variants of the coronavirus are spreading, funeral homes remain overburdened, and scientists continue to call for caution.
Almost exactly a year ago, Delta Air Lines withdrew its national advertising. She remained quiet while trying to be “really calculated and deliberate about when is the right time to return responsibly and how to do that,” said Emmakate Young, director of brand strategy and marketing communications at the company.
A new Delta campaign is scheduled for late May or early June, when more people have been vaccinated and are thinking about traveling, said Young. The company plans to continue exhibiting masked employees in the near future, but is “moving away from lonely photos, from empty airports and stadiums and from black and white,” she said.
“We look for optimism and hope that we can go back and return to normal,” she said. “But it is incredibly complex; we know that people are at very different points in their level of comfort and we want to reiterate that everything we did in 2020 will not disappear ”.