Today, I received a really terrific piece in the mail from Banana Republic. Now, let me say upfront that most of these kinds of mailers usually go directly from the mailbox into the trash, but this one was different.
Mad Style. Introducing the Limited Edition Banana Republic Mad Men Collection.
To be honest I don’t really watch much television, but I have seen several episodes of Mad Men and found it to be a really entertaining show. Part of what I enjoyed about it was the period style, and when I opened the Banana Republic mailer I felt like they’d captured it perfectly, but in a completely updated, modern way. I’m not a fashion hound by any stretch of the imagination, but if I was ever going to have a ‘signature style,’ this would be it.
That may harken back to my teenage years, when I discovered – much to my surprise – that my father actually owned a sweater and skinny ties that were ‘totally’ in style. That refined but not overdone look is something I’ve been attracted to ever since.
Where Banana Republic Missed the Boat
I’m somewhat of a lazy social sharer, as I suspect are most people. I’ll happily Share to Facebook or Retweet something if you make it easy for me. But rarely am I going to go searching for a way to extend your advertising efforts.
In this case, though, I was so intrigued by the clothes (and, truthfully, by the brilliance of the marketing tie-in) that I actually went online in search of something that I could post to Facebook and/or Twitter.
Sadly, I found nothing of value. Numerous articles about how Banana Republic was going to release a Mad Men line, and a few (weak) posts on blogs about the actual launch. But nothing that really showcased the clothes in the mailer, and, oddly, nothing from Banana Republic itself. Nothing.
Really, truly, nothing. There’s no mention of it on their website, not even if you do a search.
Worse yet, the mailer directs you to a url (bananarepublic.com/madmen) to get information about the upcoming cocktail parties (how apropos!) on August 11. Unfortunately, as of this writing that url redirects to a default page at bananarepublic.gap.com:
See anything about Mad Men there? Me neither.
This is a perfect example of why integrated marketing is so important. All the pieces have to fit together perfectly to pull something like this off. Sadly, Banana Republic missed the mark this time. (Though I still want the clothes.)
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This is great! I actually saw the same mailer and was irritated as well when I got the dead end link to nowhere. I was about to write a blog post about companies that put so much money into the push and forget to tie up the loose ends. I see you’ve got this one covered – I’m sure I’ll find another example
Thanks, Samara. Sadly, I’m pretty confident that you’ll find another example soon…
Yes. I agree about the annoyance. I really do enjoy MadMen and I shop at Banana all the time. When they teamed up last year it was definitely a win-win for me. I felt like I finally found a ‘style’ that was for me. (skinny jeans are NOT).
I Was pretty excited about the mailer and since then have been trying all the iterations of the website name. (Your post came up #2 on a google search).
Wonder where it went wrong? Website design not published yet? Digital team?
Bubba, I’d love to know where things went wrong too. And I’m definitely with you on the skinny jeans.
I’m glad I’m not the only one to notice BR dropped the ball on this one… and I was really excited about going to their Mad Men event!
So where’s the cocktail party in the Chicago area?
Would Don Draper and Sterling Advertising have made a blunder like this? I’m expecting a response.
I’m sure Don Draper would never have done this. It looks like Banana Republic has finally gotten it right: http://bananarepublic.com/madmen. (Sort of right, at least. Their urls make me want to weep, and the Title on that page is defaul | Banana Republic.)
You’re in luck; there are two BR stores in Chicago throwing the Mad Style cocktail party!
First time that I write a blog about a very specific subject and within less than a week I see two other blogs with the same type of conclusions – I wonder if Banana Republic (or Gap, Inc) can learn from our writings.
Here’s a link to my “mad”ly confused blog as well as the other one I found from Freddy Nager
Successful Marketing = Flawless Execution:
http://jrgrana.com/blog/?p=657
Not Mad Enough: Banana Republic’s Mad Men Miss by Freddy J. Nager http://atomictango.com/2011/08/13/banana-republic-mad-men/
Jesus – Nice articles! Thanks for sharing.
My wife and I, both retail executives, said that Banana Republic has become as dull and moderate as Ann Taylor. Recently though, we say that Ann Taylor is now officially cooler than Banana Republic, since they landed Demi Moore and Katie Holmes as models. BR, like it’s parent company Gap, has become the most dull, uninspiring retail store out there. Bad product, bad visuals, — madmen was hot like 3 years ago–now they use it in advertising? I guarantee you they pinned and re-tailored the shit out of those clothes featured in the ads. Expect to be disappointed when you try it on.