For Brand Marketers, It’s Time To Move On From Virus Talk

Perhaps it was the sight of a woman lodging her tongue inside a man’s mouth, or that the couple depicted was one of several in various states of undress in a quasi-orgiastic setting, but a Suitsupply ad widely seen in March instinctively repelled many people conditioned by the pandemic to be careful not to do anything that might aid the spread of the coronavirus at a time few were vaccinated. “What about COVID?” was a common response on social media to the menswear brand’s ad. As was “Imagine the germs!” Some felt it was a bit soon for an ad touting the impending arrival of “The New Normal” to be depicting activities still seen as dangerous to the public health. But Suitsupply saw an opportunity to make a splash and tap COVID before rivals did. It was also aiming to get a jump on the resumption of spending on men’s dressier clothing, one of the hardest hit areas of retail in the first year of the pandemic. Read more at Fortune.