If you’re a selfie-respecting young dude looking for some fresh kicks, there’s a good chance you don’t know that the Designer Shoe Warehouse exists. With the help of The Onion, DSW wants to change that.
Typically a bargain designer shoe store that markets to women, DSW is going after the fickle millennial male. Its “Bad Pet Owner” campaign has two humorous, minute-long spots and a dedicated “Men’s Fashion” page on The Onion’s website that’s tapping into DSW’s gritty, dark side.
In the Lab’s YouTube spot for DSW, “The Goat,” a young man kills off a series of small pets (and a goat) and buries each of them in his backyard with a new shoebox from DSW. The actor seems pleased with himself that he has to go pick up yet another pair of shoes at DSW while bemoaning his accidental butchery. The video, produced by The Onion’s branded-content unit, has almost 8,000 likes since being posted just over a week ago.
TheOnion.com’s “Men’s Fashion” section features sponsored content posts such as, “Dead Hamster Feels Its Life Has Been Properly Honored By Shoebox Coffin,” alongside relevant Onion articles dealing with men’s fashion, like “Report: Some Shirts Good, Other Shirts Not Good.” The differentiation in tone from normal articles seems minimal, though the sponsored post and “Men’s Fashion” landing page are clearly marked with DSW logos.
“We have more commercial options and we have more Onion-branded options. The creative team decides which direction can better reach who the brand is looking for ,” said Angie Gaffey, a producer for the Onion Labs. In this case, DSW went more Onion-branded.
The entire project came out of a chance meeting between DSW’s svp of marketing, Kelly Cook, and Mike McAvoy, president of The Onion. Cook needed to get beyond brand’s the existing demographic and knew The Onion could offer something different.
“I don’t know if it’s the edge or the honesty, but it’s always cut through the fray with millennial males, and that’s at the center of everything we do,” said McAvoy. “It’s also why our labs has a better chance of succeeding than most shops because of the normal editorial voice that comes through.”
Watch the spot “The Goat” below:
-
Member ExclusiveMarketing Briefing: ‘The answer is no’: Why agencies need to reject RFPs with egregiously extended payment terms
Despite the abnormality of the 360-day request, the focus from some clients and procurement officers on extending payment windows has many calling for agencies to reject participating in pitches with such requests going forward.
-
Member ExclusiveDigiday+ Research: Brands won’t cut ad spend until 2023, but they will shift from branding to direct response
For now, brands don't have significant plans to cut ad spend in Q4 despite the economy, but they do have plans to shift their advertising from branding to direct response.
-
‘A very different environment for M&A’: Dealmaking trundles on as ad slowdown drags
Prospective buyers are feeling the pinch, while entrepreneurs are wary about a cooling economy. That's the current state of dealmaking, according to execs on both sides of the negotiating table.
-
SponsoredPublishers are adapting advertising strategies for a privacy-first world
Tina Iannacchino, senior publisher director, Seedtag So much of the attention around the death of third-party cookies and its impact on the digital advertising industry is focused on the implications for brands and consumers, which is far from the complete picture. The digital publishing industry in the U.S. is massive and set to be shaken […]
-
David Beckham and ‘Carnitas’: How Frito-Lay’s World Cup marketing strategy served up celebs and regional snacking flavors
Frito-Lay wants to be front and center as the go-to snack brand during the World Cup. Here's a look at its strategy.
-
Why a feminine wellness brand is prioritizing its organic social media strategy
With strict content rules, data privacy regulations and tight budgets, a feminine wellness brand remains bullish on its organic social media strategy.
