Ad of the Day: Lululemon draws from Oscar Wilde in poetic menswear film
After 18 months of global growth, athletic wear brand Lululemon has showcased its biggest ever campaign, devised to attract more men to the retailer. Today’s Ad of the Day, the poetic campaign draws inspiration from Oscar Wilde.
‘Being Well Is a Journey’ follows a man struggling with the modern condition
“My own garden is my own garden,” said the Giant. So he built a high wall around it.
These are the striking words from Oscar Wilde’s Selfish Giant, which Lululemon has used as a metaphor to explore the impact isolation has had on people during the pandemic.
A story about the modern condition, ‘Being Well Is a Journey’ follows a man struggling to achieve fulfillment. Documenting his isolated life from work to exercise, the protagonist’s evocative voice reads snippets from the short story, with the viewer left drawing parallels. As his condition intensifies, he wakes up from the floor to see a hummingbird in his apartment, struggling to escape through the window.
Just as Wilde’s giant learns to break down his boundary from the children, the man in the film breaks down his psychological walled garden to rejoin the world.
Created by Lululemon’s agency of record Droga5, the poetic film is joined by two short spots that focus on items in the menswear range.
“Supporting our guests’ desire to feel their best in any moment, through the products we create and community connections we help build, is a shift that we believe consumers and the category will benefit from,” explains Nikki Neuburger, Lululemon’s chief brand officer.
Marking Lululemon’s biggest creative push to date, the menswear-focused campaign is devised to continue its global growth. During the pandemic, athleisure experienced a boom as people got into exercise during the lockdowns.
As a result, Lululemon’s digital sales increased exponentially and the company reported more than $2.67bn of revenue in its three fiscal quarters stretching from February through to early November 2020.
To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email imogen.watson@thedrum.com.
