Episode 85: Selling to Gen X Without Selling Out
In our last episode we talked about the cultural landscape that Gen X was coming of age in. Cynicism and ironic detachment. A DIY attitude rooted in authenticity coupled with increasing access to personal tech and an explosion of choices in alternative media. And most importantly, lack of trust in corporations.
These companies (and their marketing departments) had to think of ways to sell to those who didn’t want to be sold to...So how would you thread that needle? Advertisers like Benetton, the Gap and and Diesel Jeans undertook this task with some interesting results.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): United Colors of Benetton ad series - AIDS Patient, Breastfeeding, Priest and Nun, Newborn Baby
(Top to bottom): The Gap’s celebrity khakis campaign featuring Jack Kerouac, Andy Warhol, Ernest Hemingway and James Dean
(Top to bottom): Diesel Jeans’ “Better Living” campaign including sailors kissing, apartheid and kids with guns
Additional Resources
Generation X (Wikipedia article)
“Generation Exit” (New Yorker article)
Articles and Galleries
“The Story Behind the Colorization of a Controversial Benetton AIDS Ad” (Time article)
“Making the World’s Most Controversial Ad Campaigns” (Dazed article)
United Colors of Benetton ad series
The Gap Khakis ad series
Podcast
“Selling Out” Decoder Ring podcast episode about the friction between Oprah Winfrey and author Jonathan Franzen