Fwd: mink bikini

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[ You can express your outrage online at http://www.legendmink.com ]

 

aars , " mgoose " <mgoose@e...> wrote:

forwarded from BanFur

The New York Times

September 1, 2000, Friday

 

THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING;

How do you sell a skimpy mink bikini? Call Frankie Avalon.

 

By Courtney Kane

 

THE " ladies who lunch " seem to have had their fill of fur coats, so

American Legend, the maker of the finest mink coat available, is

turning to their daughters to try to convince them that mink is the

ultimate luxury item and an absolute fashion must.

 

To do that, Legend is introducing a print campaign that drops the

stodgy studio glamour shots of a sophisticated model clad in a full

length mommy-looking mink coat in favor of a sexy young model on the

beach posing in versatile mink items including a skimpy mink bikini.

 

" We're not trying to sell grandmom's fur coat any longer, " said Edward

Brennan, the chief executive of American Legend, which is based in

Seattle. " When we decided to relaunch our new vision, we said, 'Now we

want to position it from a fashion perspective, keep it totally

unexpected and young.' "

 

After a considerable amount of consumer research, Mr. Brennan said, it

is clear that the positioning of the company's fur coats in North

America was " not really effective in terms of bringing back young

potential consumers. " Therefore, he added, " our strategy was all about

bringing something to a fashion-forward girl that's modern, exciting,

fun and useful. "

 

Instead of focusing on the traditional mink coat, the campaign is

focusing on nontraditional mink clothing and accessories with casual

chic attitudes, like cropped bolero jackets in various colors, vests,

knitted sweaters, fur-trimmed jeans, blankets, headbands, bikinis,

hats and purses.

 

" Our objective is not only to draw consumers' attention to the high

fashionability of mink, but also create awareness for Legend the

brand, " Mr. Brennan said. " It is important that consumers recognize

that mink is not a commodity. If they want the very best quality, they

need to look for the Legend label. "

 

Legend is designed and sold by J. Mendel on Madison Avenue and through

his salon in Bergdorf Goodman. Legend will also be available this

month through the company's Web site at www.legendmink.com.

 

A decade or so ago, furs had fallen out of fashion as the economy

dipped and they became associated with spray-paint assaults by animal

rights protesters. It was also all the rage for celebrities to lend

their faces to ads that stated that they'd rather be naked than wear

fur.

 

In the last couple of years, however, the taboo has lifted somewhat

and fur has quietly crept back into the American fashion world, first

by showing up in the lines of many top designers on collar trims and

accessories. Now it has boldly asserted itself in full-page fashion

layouts.

 

American Legend has had a history of memorable ads that also featured

celebrities, taking pro-fur stances, of course. In the 1960's, the

company along with the adman Peter Rogers created the long-running

campaign " What Becomes a Legend Most " for one of its other trademarks,

Blackgama. Those ads featured stars like Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis,

Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Lena Horn, Barbra

Streisand and many others swathed in fur.

 

The latest campaign, created by Laspata/DeCaro in New York with

billings estimated at $2 million, also features an " it " girl. This

time, though, she comes from the fashion world, not Hollywood. The

supermodel Frankie Rayder is featured posing on a beach in Malibu,

Calif., in a retro satire of 1960's surf movies like " Beach Blanket

Bingo " and " How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. " And who better to join her

for a cameo appearance? The king of those surf movies himself, Frankie

Avalon.

 

" We looked to showcase the brand in the most unexpected light, " said

Charles DeCaro, creative director at Laspata/DeCaro. " And what could

be more unexpected than mink on the beach?

 

" Obviously with a 'Beach Blanket Bingo' subtext to the campaign, it

was sort of a no-brainer to contact someone that was part of that

genre, and Frankie Avalon seemed the perfect addition, " Mr. DeCaro

added. " He was the remaining ingredient that this whole equation

needed. "

 

In the ad featuring the two Frankies, they are shown posing in a bit

of an awkward embrace. She looks secure and sultry in her $5,500 mink-

and-leather bikini and sarong. He is clad in all white, yet not quite

sure what to do with himself. As a wink to both Mr. Avalon's film

career as well as the famous ad campaign that inspired the Legend

brand, Mr. Avalon's white shirt says " What Becomes a Legend Most? "

 

" We did not want to set out to recreate the Legend campaigns of the

past, " Mr. DeCaro said. " They were phenomenal and iconic in their

genre. " But for the new campaign, he continued, " it was much more

important to capture the fashion pulse in a very sort of

tongue-in-check way. " The subtle way that they reintroduced the famous

line on Mr. Avalon's T-shirt was " definitely a segue to possible

future campaigns, " Mr. DeCaro added.

 

Thirteen other ads feature Ms. Rayder wearing a variety of mink items.

One ad shows her wearing a white mink sweater over a daisy bathing

suit as she joins four tanned, clean-cut surfers in carrying a

surfboard. Another ad features her dancing on the beach with the same

models, this time wearing a creamy gold mink bolero over a gold lame

bikini top and pants. All the ads have the tagline: " J. Mendel for

Legend. American Legend Mink. "

 

" We really wanted to show the diversity of the brand, " Mr. DeCaro

said. The technology is so much more advanced than it was in the past

that mink can now be used in many different ways, including being cut

to look like corduroy or even resemble velvet, Mr. DeCaro added.

 

" It was more important to get that across and definitely reach toward

a younger, more hip consumer, " he said.

 

The campaign begins running in the September issues of magazines

including Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, In Style, Nylon, Town &

Country, Vanity Fair and Wallpaper. This is the second effort from

Laspata/ DeCaro since it was awarded the account in August 1999.

 

" We intend to position Legend as the very best of the best, so would

the average girl be able to go in and buy a beautiful Legend bikini? "

Mr.Brennan asked. " I would say no. But, in fact would it interest her

to go look at other products that could be affordable and really could

be useful today that she is not aware of at the moment? Absolutely

yes. And that's the point. "

 

 

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