Fashion companies are typically not that into technology. They probably linger on questions like, do we really NEED to use Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Tumblr? longer than the rest of us before taking the plunge. Does it help their bottom line or just make them look like they're "with it"? And is looking like they're "with it" enough to warrant the effort of stooping to these cheap, plebeian thrills? Well Stussy has found one way to make (what it may deem innovative) use of the interwebs with its "will strip for likes" campaign. The idea is, if you like the Stussy page a female model will take her clothes off. The agency behind the ad wrote a blog post about how ingenious this idea is:
What’s smart about it is that once you’ve liked the stripper, you’ll be inclined to come back and see what her status is. On top of that you’ll see a whole bunch of Stüssy clothes; she thus actually becomes a catwalk stripper.
The Next Web posits that the campaign is truly problematic because it might alienate women:
The ad campaign is clearly pointing directly at Stüssy’s male audience, and could easily end up alienating half its consumer base. While it may do its part to boost the Dutch page’s modest fan-following of just over 360, it’s safe to assume that the majority are hitting the ‘Like’ button for all the wrong reasons.
However the real problem with this ad is that there's actually nothing innovative about it. Plenty of brands have already experimented with like walls — "like this page if you want to see photos of our new collection!" And so forth. But also, the supposed appeal of this campaign, the bubble gum center of the Tootsie pop, is a naked woman. Well to that I say, have you ever flipped through a "V" magazine? Or a French "Vogue"? Or even clicked through the editorials at Models.com or fashion photographer Terry Richardson's website (warning: clicking that may be NSFW)? Naked models are everywhere! Hell, look at a few runway shows and it won't be long until you find nipples blazing through some sheer dresses and tops. And the core audience of all of this media, as racy and straight male-targeted as it may seem, is women.
But at least those things are largely done with artistic value and design merit in mind, whereas Stussy's campaign just seems desperate.