Fashion designer and marketing provocateur Kenneth Cole has opened a new website that he says is aimed at raising social and political issues to foster discussion. Long known for socially conscious advertisements, Cole’s Where Do You Stand continues that tradition online.
Or does it?
Cole’s team has worked hard to give the website a slick, post-Web 2.0 feel. They’ve worked a little too hard, for my taste, and turned out a technologically challenging product. My aging computer sounded like it was going to take off as six separate modules (Facebook voting, Facebook comments, two Vimeo videos, a Twitter feed, and an RSS feed) loaded simultaneously. I was almost afraid the old girl would explode if I clicked on anything. (P.S. Don’t even think about visiting the site on a mobile device.)
From the site’s main page (shown above), you’re prompted to join the discussion on the left or shop for Kenneth Cole goods on the right. That’s where I start to have a problem with this campaign. I’m all for social consciousness; I even agree with most of Cole’s stances. But using it to make a buck just rubs me the wrong way.
A Kenneth Cole billboard on New York's West Side Highway
I can get behind the billboards like the one at left that appeared in New York last month. If I didn’t know who Kenneth Cole was, I’d assume that the billboard was paid for by some guy with a few extra bucks in his pocket and no ulterior motive. Other than the line Kenneth Cole Stores at the bottom (you can’t see it too well in this picture), there’s no indication that it’s part of a marketing campaign.
Cole’s new website, on the other hand, never lets you forget that more than social awareness is on display. The political videos are populated with models (all white, by the way) decked out in Kenneth Cole products from head to toe. What’s more, the whole site is rendered in black and white except for a full-color 50-pixel-wide column on the right side, leading to the What You Stand In section of the site for Cole’s clothing line, that just begs to be clicked. It’s downright cynical.
Kenneth Cole is not selling social consciousness at his new social consciousness website. He’s hoping you take away the image of a socially conscious company though. Along with a $300 handbag, of course.
If you were more familiar with the Kenneth Cole brand, you’d know that his version of social consciousness is purely profit driven. Look through his older ads. I find many of them offensive, but they appeal to some people, apparently.
My daughter (13) and I drive down the Westside highway most mornings toward school (and work). We await Kenneth Cole billboard updates (AKA thought offerings) with joy. The ideas represented make us think- what were the creators thinking and what do we think about the words stated? Nothing wrong with giving people something to think about, while being clever regarding product. Thanks, Kenneth Cole.