MELBOURNE:The man behind the controversial campaign to launch Witchery's new menswear line has admitted disappointment over the way the campaign has been received by the media industry.
Mat Baxter, CEO of ad agency Naked Communications - which released the viral campaign in mid-January - told trade media he had worked with Witchery for over a year to develop the campaign and was disappointed with negative reactions to it.
“There has been lots of commentary in the media about whether we put this up there to deceive or mislead the audience,” he said. “Knowing consumers as we do and that consumers are far smarter than we give them credit for, we expected that a large percentage of the audience would know it had something to do with a marketing campaign.”
“Everything in advertising and marketing isn’t always accurate. That’s what advertising is; largely story telling or taking consumers on a journey. It’s up to them to believe what they are seeing or engaging with the communications.”
Naked's campaign for Witchery was designed to mimic a You Tube posting and featured a young woman, "Heidi", searching for a man who left his jacket behind in a restaurant.
Witchery CEO Ian Nairn reportedly confirmed the campaign - criticised in some quarters of the media and public as "deceitful" - had been successful getting into consumers' "headspace". Meanwhile independent research into consumer responses to the viral showed 35 per cent of respondents thinking the brand was "cooler and more playful" than previously.
Witchery Men will open nationally with 11 stores in March, most of them attached to existing womenswear sites.
While details of the menswear range have yet to be released, it is likely to emulate the high quality, fashion forward styling and accessible price points of Witchery's womenswear range in a bid to attract consumers from the young, urban male demographic.
Ragtrader's calls to Witchery had not been returned at the time of writing.