When Amsterdam ad agency Flickering Wall decided the best way to sell jeans was to send up the hipsters who buy them, they were clearly thinking out of their boxes.
The ad in question was for connoisseur jean company Denham the Jeanmaker. The viral campaign is an accurate remake of the famous business card scene in American psycho. This time the Wall Street suits are replaced by Shoreditch beards. The shallow obsession with business cards in the original movie is replaced with a humorous take on the stereotypical London Scenester’s obsession with raw denim jeans. The result is a short assassination of the superficial and sheep-like nature of hipster culture not seen since Nathan Barley.
Based around a very simple but far from obvious idea, this 6-minute advert is compelling and humorous, and will no doubt have some of Denham’s customers reaching for the razor. It will either encourage you to appreciate the detail in their denim, or heading straight to Asda for your next pair of drainpipes.
I’m not sure I’d buy the jeans, but when you watch advertising out of choice, for entertainment, then share it with your friends, the admen are definitely doing something right.