Has Calvin Klein Push the Limit with New SoHo Billboard?
My dear LUXies, we need your help! Some seem to be quite put off by the steamy billboard pictured above, and we need to know what you think!?!
As you can see, this ad illustrates a young teenage girl topless, on top of a semi-naked boy while she passionately kisses another…not to mention the extra male practically undressing on the ground! Is this billboard really suggesting what some are alluding too, that threesomes are okay? Normal?…Standard part of wearing Calvin Klein jeans?
“Just the positioning of them all—she’s kissing him, the other guy has his hands down her pants, they’re all misty even. It’s really inappropriate.” —says 24, Alicia Shay, Murray Hill Resident
Do YOU think this is something to be concerned about? Or is all this hype just another marketing tactic to get us out of our comfort zone? Perhaps this is just depicting the times we live in and is really only a sincere reflection of societal norms. Or just maybe, we’re just bombarded by these images all the time that we barely take notice and Calvin Klein had to pick one of the most ‘conservative’ areas in Soho in order to get a buzz going again? Have we become so sexually desensitized as a culture that companies are needing to resort to placing this kind of amped up Shockverting in proper boroughs to reinforce a brand’s relevance?
The ‘intention was to create a very sexy campaign that speaks to our targeted demographic.’ –says a Calvin Klein spokesman, via nydailynews.com
As many of us might remember, this depiction is not too far from many of Calvin Klein’s past campaigns. Most memorable has to be back in 1981 where 15-year old Brooke Shields stated ‘nothing comes between me and my Calvins.’ For some, this billboard is aligned with exactly the M.O. of Calvin Klein!
So as you can see….there are many interpretations to be had and the most important one is YOURS!! What would you say if this billboard was in your neighborhood? What are you initial thoughts, feelings, reactions to the ad?
Update:
After endless community complaints and social backlash, Calvin Klein decided to change their scantily clad and sexually deviant billboard of under age looking models for a more subdued image, a svelte women dripping wet in a red string bikini! You wanna know how to get people talking in a good way? This is how! Put a sexy woman with an amazing figure on a billboard to drive fuel to your brand—BAM! Moth to flame.
To see what’s making the residents so happy in this SoHo neighborhood, click the image gallery above.
Also, see Calvin Klein’s new collection in Seoul
Tagged in: new york city, calvin klein, marketing, soho, billboard, sexual content, media campaigns,
