I know this video has the Spring 2008 Collection, but I still love it! It's so beautiful. I just want to be right there with them- riding my bike, looking fabulous, and meeting other fabulous-looking people riding their bikes! ;)
What do you think of the commercial? Do you like the mini-story mixed in with the clothes-selling? Do you think this type of advertising works well for a retail firm like J.Crew?
P.S. I just had to include a link (here) to J.Crew's video in Paris- because I adore it so much (from the location, to the music, to the divine clothes)!!!
Yes, the Paris video is nice, but as an American living in Europe, it's frustrating that we still can't have J. Crew delivery. If they want to use Europe as a backdrop to advertising, I wish they would open the international shipping doors a little, beyond Japan. For years I've been on the email list for notification of when their hopeful international shipping begins, but it hasn't happened yet. At least it makes Christmas day in the US exciting -- all J. Crew packages I couldn't receive during the year.
ReplyDeleteAlexis, I hope the paper was well received!
ReplyDeleteI do love this video - I guess it evokes a certain feeling and its like a little daydream. I really haven't seen many ads like this and would love to see more. It is probably too late for a summer ad. Maybe there will be another holiday one?
OT - I saw an ad on TV for back to school clothes that's a riff on scenes from the Breakfast Club movie. I wondered how many kids would get the reference, then I realized they were targeting parents. Then I felt very old :(
Kim - A lot of overseas customers seem to do what you do and order clothes to pick up later. Just curious - do you order spring / summer / fall items? How do you return items, if they turn out not to fit or they're not what you imagined? Do you get to take advantage of online sales as much as you want? :) Sorry for all the questions, just wanted to further understand your point of view!
ReplyDeleteamethyst: I saw that video! Except I didn't know for sure it was Breakfast Club (never seen it) but I thought it might be what they were aiming for. :)
ReplyDeleteTo respond to melanie, the normal J. Crew shipping costs are so high that I don't ask my family to forward the packages to me -- I just pick them up once a year when I'm home. (A small price to pay, though, for being able to live here.) So this definitely cuts down on the amount I purchase online, as I usually can't return the items within the 60-day period. It's too bad, too, since the price of items are cut in half when paying with UK pounds. Anthropologie has recently opened its online sales to the UK and possibly to other international locations. Banana Republic has just opened its first European store in London, and one of its PR people told me it was doing so well that they won't be holding sales. As much as I'd like to see J. Crew here, too, I'm hesitant about the idea of an actual store. I certainly don't like seeing Abercrombie on the high street here in the past year or so -- it's just too American. I guess I'm only trying to promote international online access, not necessarily an actual store presence in Europe.
ReplyDeleteI love the Paris video, but don't care much for the bike riding one...it would have been better if they had cut the run time in half, and there are alot of inconsistencies (like the girl has a tote on the bike in some shots, then it disappears, then miraculously she has it again)...I didn't feel it held my attention very well. I do however think that this type of "story video" marketing is great...just keep consistency in the scenes, and make the videos shorter. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeh...the younger male model in the Paris video is SO GORGEOUS!!!I think they should really have him in the new catalogs and on the website, instead of the one they use all the time now.
ReplyDeletei thought it was kinda boring and the tote bag mystery was bad editing! is she wearing the tuesday trench?
ReplyDeleteI like the concept of the spring video, but I think it could have used different music. Also, at the beginning it looked like the model was having trouble riding her bike.
ReplyDeleteAhh, the Paris video! I love that one. I think we've all discussed before how last fall (and holiday) magazines just were perfect.
I have actually never seen the spring '08 video before. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? I can't believe I actually missed something that jcrew did. And I thought I was really on top of my stalking game... apparently I kind of suck at the stalking game :(
ReplyDeleteThis video works, not because it features clothes, but it gives a feeling or emotion which is stronger than a single looks. The director nailed it; make people want the clothes because they have an emotional attachment to the video.
ReplyDeleteI want to jump on a plane right now and get to N.Y. and ride around on a bike right now.
Maybe I'll shop instead. Like I did yesterday and spend the $ on clothes instead of a plane ticket.
Good music, interesting concept, too long and boring.
ReplyDeleteI love the regular J Crew model dude - as seen in J Crew Guy in Canada's avatar. He's so scruffy and adorable
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know who does this song and the name of it? thanks!
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous - good concept, great idea, poor execution. The model looked like she could barely ride her bike.
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know which jacket she was wearing?
ReplyDeleteIn the NYC video I would have liked to see more clothing, instead of just the 2 outfits. I liked the song, though. Bad continuity w/the basket. That was horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe Paris vid was charming because the model is very beautiful. Her counterpart was very easy on the nice. Fun to see.
I think Old Navy has excellent TV commercials. They went a whole direction way last fall compared to their campy spots and I think it's paying off. The commls and print ads make the merch look sooooo much better than it does in person.
I don't particularly like the bike video. Too long, they could have told that story in 30 seconds flat. And with the strinkingly beautiful female models they regularly feature (Alexis, please can you run a story on them? they are so gorgeous, so special!) they could have chosen a more interesting model, in my personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteFor Melanie, who was asking about overseas customers:
Like Kim, I am a customer from overseas. Sometimes I have my stuff shipped to my parents' address in the US and they bring it when they come visit, sometimes I have it shipped to my ex-husband who ships them to Brazil for me (what a sweetiepie of an ex-husband! don't you agree?). In any case, when you live overseas getting a J.Crew box in the mail makes any day feel like Christmas day. As for winter/summer being reversed here, it doesn't matter, I'll just wait for winter to end to wear the bikinis I purchased in my last order. Obviously, I just try to keep thinsulate away from my cart, unless I'm visting colder climates.
As for returns, well this actually is a bit of a bummer, I can't return anything so I try to order slightly bigger sizes or stretchy items. Mostly, as a Latino woman, J.Crew clothes are too long on my arms and legs but big enough to cover my behind. I also have a lot of clothes altered by my seamstress (an easy, cheap service in Brazil). By now I have a pretty good idea of what J.Crew items will fit me and what will not. But when something won't fit at all, I make it a gift to my friends or relatives (it's my humble way of starting a J.Crew following here!). Colors sometimes are a problem, for example, Geranium and Sweet Orange were totally different from what I expected (didn't like them, kind of washed down).
I wish there was a way to display colors more accurately in the website.
I hope J.Crew is listening and remembers that the world is bigger than the Northern Hemisphere if they ever decide to go the global shipping way.
I agree with others--the first video is kinda boring...too long. I don't get the "one look concept" seen throughout but i do love this type of advertising because it evokes a lifestyle ie. like Ralph Lauren . The newest Fall video that I recv'd and is at the beginning of opening J Crew website is marvelous! ! Shows various looks and is right length with lots of feeling:)
ReplyDeleteFor me, in listening to music, first of all, it is important that it is always in my phone, so I can listen to it anywhere in the world, and now there are services like YouTube to Mp3, through which you can find any music and download it for free. All in all, it's very convenient that you don't have to pay a subscription anywhere to comfortably listen to music in great quality.
ReplyDelete