• by Tom Siebert , November 10, 2006

The world of fashion advertising is plagued by sameness and pretension, driven by an insecurity that underestimates what it takes to be memorable to consumers. That's according to a panel of fashion leaders at "Fashion Advertising/Advertising Fashion," a luncheon hosted by the New York Ad Club and sponsored by fashion staffing company 24/seven yesterday.

Moderated by Judy Licht, co-host of the WE network series "Full Frontal Fashion," the panel boasted half a dozen big names with big opinions: Gilles Bensimon, international creative director, Elle magazine; Damon Dash, CEO, Damon Dash Enterprises; Simon Doonan, creative director, Barney's; Jeremy Kost, Polaroid artist, Roidrage.com; Liz Lange, CEO, Liz Lange Maternity; and David Lipman, chairman, Lipman.

Doonan, the crowd favorite, slammed most fashion advertising as "turgid, boring, too much about art direction and not about creating something memorable." He said Barney's advertising stood out because it uses "more words, verbally communicates with consumers....it's advertising, not art direction."

Doonan's sentiments were echoed by Lange, who suggested that too much fashion advertising was selling beauty instead of a brand. She said her maternity fashion company used advertising that she personally found effective, although it might not be considered cool.

"I'll rip out pages [of clothes] I like, and if they mention the price, all the better," she said. "We put as much of our clothing as possible in the picture, much to the horror of our ad agency."

Licht lamented the repetitive use of some models--Kate Moss, specifically--and questioned how one brand could possibly stand out when 20 different companies are all using the same model.

Picking up on the model idea, Doonan described the perfect one as "a mix of Katherine Hepburn and Siouxsie Sioux," adding that the ubiquitous Moss was a result of insecurity and me-too-ism. Too many brands were not secure in their own identity.

This led to a refreshingly honest response from Dash, who admitted to insecurity and said he would gladly use Moss, "a rock star," in a campaign because her tacit endorsement of his brand would validate it in the public eye.

Yet some of the most effective marketing comes when a celebrity is uniquely associated with a brand, countered both Lange and Lipman.

For example, Lipman said the most successful piece of advertising he'd ever been a part of occurred when Adrien Brody, wearing a Zegna suit, planted his notorious kiss on Halle Berry after winning the Oscar. Lipman said he was on the phone in seconds, secured the rights to the photo for $100,000, then distributed it worldwide--with the stipulation that the Zegna suit be mentioned in any caption.

Lange said her brand of stylish pregnancy clothing took off when she gave free clothes to supermodel Cindy Crawford to wear while she was expecting. Since then, Lange said, a competitor has paid Crawford to model maternity clothes, but it's too late. Lange's brand is already established with Crawford in the public's mind.

Whether it said more about the panelists' egos or the quality of advertising today (or both), the afternoon's most revealing moment came when Licht asked all six panelists to name a recent fashion campaign that was memorable--besides one of their own. No one could.