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Ageless Hilfiger Preppies Finally Graduate High School

The Hilfigers are back for a seventh season. Those multi-culti, borderline-solipsistic preppies who evince a mix of irreverence and privilege are again the subject of provocative narratives putting them in situations that beg the question: where’s dad?

The effort, a fall global advertising campaign called "cärpe-díem mañana," has one of the kids heading to college, while the other less-motivated family members go along to help her study, I mean, to help doll up the dorm and set the style thermometer on cool. Other students join in.

“Collegiate traditions and the preppy, Ivy League look were some of my earliest design inspirations and the starting point for our signature style,” said Tommy Hilfiger in a statement. 

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The company asked a group of bloggers to the campaign shoot, where they were given behind-the-scenes access to the collection. The bloggers were styled in looks from the collection before they were photographed alongside the Hilfigers, per the company, a unit of PVH Corp. The bloggers then were urged to develop content for their Web sites and social media channels with the caveat that they break their coverage before the launch. 

Also involved is The Official Preppy Handbook writer Lisa Birnbach, who dreamed up the style configurations for the characters, comprising “Natty Professor,” the “A-Student,” the “Bookworm,” the “Ice Queen,” the “Après Dude,” the “Professional Student,” the “Social Chair,” the “Field Tripper,” the “Alum Prez,” the “Teacher’s Pet” and the “All American.” Birnbach's descriptions for the narrative ads are part of inserts in select September books, outdoor advertising and on tommy.com.

“The heart of The Hilfigers campaigns is all about storytelling, and this season we really tried to take it to the next level,” said Trey Laird, CEO and CCO at Hilfiger’s agency, Laird + Partners. 

The cärpe-díem mañana campaign includes online, print, outdoor and social media presence. The company says the campaign broke on Tuesday with print in books like Vanity Fair, Vogue, InStyle, Elle, Glamour, GQ, Men’s Health and Esquire. The effort includes multi-page inserts in some of the magazines. Outdoor elements will be in New York City, London, Paris and Milan, and top districts in Hong Kong. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels will feature the campaign images and video. The European effort includes a feature on tommy.com.

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