Jimmy Choo pre-fall ad featuring Nicole Kidman
Footwear and accessories label Jimmy Choo is showing the edgier side of is pre-fall collection with a campaign video with a motorcycle theme.
This is the fourth time the brand has cast Nicole Kidman in a campaign video, thus creating a more solid connection between the actress and the brand. This video is more narrative-driven than previous Jimmy Choo films, showing Ms. Kidman interacting with a male model in the middle of a desert, compared to previous videos that showed only her.
“The new collection is more edgy and rebellious rock chic, with a tougher attitude and rebellious glamour,” said Jonas Kochen, creative director at Vertic. “They are trying to change the perception of Jimmy Choos to be not only classic red carpet high fashion.
“Continuing using Nicole Kidman as the face of the brand makes sense,” he said. “Her personality matches the exclusivity of the brand yet there is a kind of shock effect to the ad and video as we normally see Nicole way more buttoned up and classic.”
Mr. Kochen is not affiliated with Jimmy Choo but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Jimmy Choo did not respond by press deadline.
Rocky road
In Ms. Kidman’s first campaign for the brand for autumn/winter 2013, she portrayed a film noir heroine, donning trench coats and a bobbed wig. For cruise 2014, the actress was shown in a shore house setting, walking by the waves and in the sand in high heeled sandals.
For spring/summer 2014, Jimmy Choo took a more angular approach, showing Ms. Kidman in a room with gold colored reflective surfaces.
This newest campaign film is the first to show an edgier side of the actress.
Video still from Jimmy Choo
At the beginning of the video, wisps of black smoke rise in front of a white background. A rocky landscape appears behind the cloud and multiple translucent images of Ms. Kidman’s face appear in the foreground.
Video still from Jimmy Choo
The video cuts to a man on a motorcycle speeding over cracked desert pavement.
Ms. Kidman is seen in two different shots walking across the desert, in one wearing animal print pumps with bare legs and in the other wearing leather leggings with peep toe booties. Wearing the leather look she hops on the back of the motorcycle, and the camera gets a close-up look at both her and the driver’s shoes.
Video still from Jimmy Choo
Toward the end of the video, it continues to cut back and forth between the frothy black and white footage of Ms. Kidman, the actress or the male model standing on the ground in the middle of the expanse and shots of the terrain.
The last shot shows Ms. Kidman wearing sunglasses before cutting to a landscape scene with the Jimmy Choo named layered on top.
Jimmy Choo pre-fall with Nicole Kidman
To introduce the campaign, Jimmy Choo posted an article on the Choo World section of its Web site, and posted to social media. In the article, Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi says that she appreciates Ms. Kidman’s ability to be a “chameleon” in the different roles the brand has placed her in, and that she makes the products “shine.”
The video was both embedded in the article and embedded on Facebook, so consumers could watch in either place.
As of press time, the video had more than 37,000 views.
Jimmy Choo’s pre-fall campaign dropped at the same time as its pre-order event for the same collection.
Jimmy Choo pre-fall preorder promotional image
As the brand continues to promote this video and campaign on social media, different elements will probably have different results.
“The video has 50. 000 views within the first hours which is not bad at all,” said Mr. Kochen. “The question is if it can keep the pace.
“Three hours after they posted the video they had their second update on their wall which pushes the video down in relevance,” he said. “The video only has 47 shares through Facebook and only 2 comments and 408 likes.
“The update that came later presented an Instagram update with photos from the new collection as well as photos from different events. This update received way more attention, 3628 likes, 99 shares.”
Consistency is key
Using actresses as campaign stars in consecutive efforts allows a brand to show multiple facets of the same woman.
For instance, French fashion house Chanel revived interest in its Coco Mademoiselle fragrance with a social video that plays with the brand’s feminine and sophisticated codes.
Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle campaign starring ongoing fragrance ambassador Keira Knightley in a James Bond-esque role was not debuted by the brand. Interestingly, fashion publications such as British Vogue and Elle and news outlets such as The Telegraph and The Huffington Post featured the social film on their Web sites days before Chanel included it on its own digital spaces (see story).
Sticking with the same campaign star can also mean that the actress and product become so intertwined that when looking at an ad for a new product, consumers know what brand is being portrayed without having to read the logo.
For instance, French label Christian Dior expanded upon its iconic Miss Dior fragrance by adding Blooming Bouquet to the scent’s lineage to welcome spring and jolt interest in the range.
To fete Blooming Bouquet, Dior welcomed back its Miss Dior ambassador, actress Natalie Portman. Due to the popularity of Miss Dior, introducing Blooming Bouquet with a campaign featuring longtime ambassador Ms. Portman will help maintain interest in the new fragrance (see story).
Ms. Kidman allows the brand to reach a range of consumers.
“[Ms. Kidman] makes sense as she has been the face of the brand for the last couple of collections,” Mr. Kochen said.
“She looks amazing, very iconic and even women in the target audience who are 20 years younger than her would die to look like her,” he said.
“At the same time she also has the grace and classic beauty profile that would appeal to women in their 40’s and 50’s who are more likely to have the buying power that Jimmy Choo needs.”
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily