The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

The Holy Grail of handbags.

Created in 1984 when the CEO of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas met the actress Jane Birkin.

They’re sold exclusively through Hermes stores and you have to jump through all manner of hoops to be able to buy one.

You also need to have a fuckload of cash because they can cost in the hundreds of thousands.

That’s MULTIPLES of hundreds of thousands.

And that’s in US dollars.

Whether those prices are justified is immaterial … the reality is, they are viewed almost like precious gems.

Which is why this ad for a beauty company – MCoBeauty – made me laugh out loud.

Look at it.

LOOK AT IT!!!

It’s more Burger King than Birkin … made even better that it is appearing on bus shelters.

On one hand, I quite like how they have just destroyed the pomposity of the Birkin brand with one simple image … but on the other, they’ve not just destroyed the aspirational value of the ‘prize’ they’re giving away by making it look like a ‘pound shop knock off’, they’ve also just fucked themselves over by reinforcing that however much brands like MCoBeauty may try and claim they’re all about ‘accessible/everyday luxury’, they’re basically admitting nothing compares to getting your hands on real luxury.

But that last point is immaterial when you make an ad that makes a Birkin Bag look less appealing than a supermarket paper bag.

If it was ironic it might work, but it’s not … it’s pure ‘starburst’ sales promotion awfulness

Who designed this thing?
The colours are hideous.
The copy is disastrous.
The art direction is scandalous.

If you want to leverage giving a Birkin Bag away to drive sales … maybe you should make it feel like something you would actually like to own, rather than avoid. And god forbid Hermes see it because they will come after you like a ton-of-bricks. Even if you own it. And even if it is second hand. Hermes understand the value of reputation … it’s why they can sell bits of stitched leather for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What is so annoying is this could have been really good.

Not just executionally, but for building the reputation and value of the MCoBeauty.

But no, instead – as is the case with far too much these days – they haven’t given a shit and just banged any old bollocks out, because we live in times where marketing is focused more on what you want to say rather than understanding the importance of how you say it.

Or said another way. There’s too much focus on systems rather than appreciating the value and impact of craft.