Which Shirt Are You promotional image
British fashion label Thomas Pink has launched a new campaign that attaches personalities to its men’s dress shirt line to help consumers decide which style will suit them.
The LVMH-owned brand created a microsite for its “Which Shirt Are You” campaign, which includes video profiles of British men of varying professions, a social feed and videos detailing the different shirt designs. By focusing on the men behind the shirts, Thomas Pink is able to show the universality of its collection.
“The shirt is a great leveler, it is worn by presidents and school children alike and as a shirtmaker we wanted to focus on the personality behind the shirt, bringing it to life with a human focus and a story telling engagement,” said Florence Torrens, creative director of Thomas Pink, London. “It is about weaving great shirt tales and ultimately it is about the people who wear them and their passionate strive for excellence in what they do.
“We believe that the guy who appreciates Thomas Pink shirts is into a little more than just putting a shirt on for his working day,” she said. “He is thoughtful, appreciative of quality, discerning in his choices and above all needs to trust that his wardrobe choices will work hard for him.
“Our typical consumer is aged between 35-45 and is extremely time poor. He is at a key time in his life, working hard to achieve, traveling a lot, either for business or for leisure and possibly settling down with a partner. As a result, we recognize that he is likely to be a big user of social media and smart phones – to keep his profile socially active and to share pictures with his friends and family.
“It is this consumer we are trying to reach with the #WSAY campaign. By asking them which shirt are you we are giving him a chance to share stories, looks and anecdotes around his favorite shirt.
Lifestyle fit
Thomas Pink’s Which Shirt Are You campaign had a soft launch, with audio on the microsite from the men that would later be profiled in video. The brand used social media to drive traffic to the site and get consumers interested in the wider array of content that would come out later in the week.
Facebook post from Thomas Pink
The microsite launched officially on April 7 now has three video profiles at the top, replacing the audio. In each video, the men being profiled wear a white shirt, usually with no jacket to show the fit.
Charles Morgan, the third generation of his family to work at the Morgan Motor Company, represents the classic shirt. In a video, the automotive executive is seen driving in one of his company’s cars through the English countryside.
Charles Morgan
Mr. Morgan talks about his grandfather’s innovation to make the car, and then explains how hand making cars is similar to tailoring a suit while footage of the factory plays.
Thomas Pink chose Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, the jelly monger duo behind Bompas and Parr, to characterize the slim shirt. Adding a touch of whimsy and showing personal style, the pair is seen throughout their video in colorful bow ties.
Sam Bompas and Harry Parr
Mr. Bompas and Mr. Parr talk about how their work requires precision to give consumers the best possible experience, whatever culinary experience they are creating. They also explain how color is important to food and talk about not cutting corners when creating jelly molds.
For the super slim fit, Thomas Pink profiled hip hop recording artist Clement Marfo. Mr. Marfo is seen at the recording studio while his voice talks about pouring his emotions into his music.
Clement Marfo
The recording artist also explains the connection between music and fashion, and his need to have a certain look to sell albums. He also talks about his process of editing a song multiple times to get it right.
Through these profiles, with these professionals talking about their own precision and drive for perfection, Thomas Pink is able to also point to its own craftsmanship.
Below the videos is information about a contest the brand is running as part of What Shirt Are You. Consumers can tag a photo, sartorial story or video on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with #WSAY and include @Thomas_Pink to enter.
Each Tuesday the brand will pick the three best posts, whose owners will win a gift card worth either about $250, $80 or $40.
Following that, the microsite has a social feed called “Trending on #WSAY.” This shows posts of celebrities wearing Thomas Pink as well as posts from the brand related to the campaign.
Thomas Pink WSAY microsite
At the bottom of the page, a “The Shirts Themselves” section includes videos detailing the construction and fit of each shirt through text. The shirt sits on a mannequin.
For continuity, the music that plays underscoring these videos is the same as the ones used in the corresponding profiles. The classic shirt got an orchestral piece while the slim fit got a bouncy staccato score and the super slim was paired with a hip hop tune.
WhichShirtAreYou.com will update daily with new content, including edits from influencers and celebrities and street style photography. More films will be released in July and September.
This is a global campaign that includes the U.S., Hong Kong, Mexico, Dubai and India markets.
Big personality
Thomas Pink has previously shown off its personality through its advertising campaign.
Thomas Pink is pushing its fall/winter 2013 collection through a photo shoot inspired by photographer Philippe Halsman’s work as a way to show off the brand’s personality.
The brand’s advertising campaign was influenced by Philippe Halsman’s Jump Book, a collection of photographs taken in the 1950s. Brands that draw inspiration from established and well-known artists gain credibility in the eyes of both art and popular culture enthusiasts (see story).
Attaching a style of living to a product can help a consumer picture it in their own closet.
French leather goods house Louis Vuitton attached personas to select models from its men’s bag collection to showcase the products’ utility.
Louis Vuitton’s “A Man, a Voyage, an Iconic Bag” video series captures vignettes of the rooms belonging to three bags’ fictional owners. Through these short films Louis Vuitton is able to showcase the broad appeal of its bags (see story).
“We believe the characters we have filmed do three things,” Ms. Torrens said. “Firstly, they embody the character of the shirt they wear.
“A shirt is a shirt, is a shirt, but not all shirts are equal,” she said. “We want people to think more about which shirt they wear. Which shirt would suit them. This includes everything from the fit, to the design, to the color. By filming contrasting characters who embody different Thomas Pink shirts, we hope this helps illustrate the subtle but important differences between them.
“Secondly, the characters reflect the core values of Thomas Pink. Especially important is their strive for excellence in their chosen fields. They are all such different characters that hopefully the shirt wearing public will find something that they find engaging in their diversity.
“Lastly but just as importantly, like Thomas Pink, these guys don’t take themselves too seriously. We are having fun doing this campaign. Hopefully it shows.”
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York