The odd thing about times of shared hardship is how quickly humans can become nostalgic about them.
It makes sense, of course, that difficult times bring us together as people and highlight struggles larger than our own. And it's not a bad thing to look back on those eras and think about how we came together and looked past our differences.
But nostalgia can also be a notorious perk of privilege. If you're lucky enough to have survived a time like the pandemic without suffering deep, personal loss, that's great—but talking too enthusiastically about it can be a bad look.
Which leads us to Diesel's new campaign from Publicis Italy, which is encouraging fans to immortalize the events and big plans they missed because of the Covid-19 pandemic by having them printed on their custom jean labels.
So if you never want to forget that you missed Coachella, Red Rocks or that costumed orgy in Ibiza in 2020, you can now emblazon one on your Diesel label.
It's a clever idea, to be sure, but it's also unsettling from a taste perspective. Should we remember the lessons of 2020? Absolutely. Should the lasting takeaway be that we didn't get blitzed on Mykonos? Ehhhh...
Of course, WHAT you put on your Diesel label is up to you, though the brand's launch promotion certainly leans into the light and fun events that got canceled (while showing your future self out enjoying life to its non-quarantined fullest).
Check out the campaign and see what you think. What's your take on how society (and marketers) will or should look back on the events of 2020? Drop me a line at the email below or at @Griner on Twitter.
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
[email protected]
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