Running head: CALVIN KLEIN ADVERTISMENT SERIES
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Calvin Klein advertisement series
Devin Rosema
Davenport University
CALVIN KLEIN ADVERTISMENT SERIES
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CALVIN KLEIN ADVERTISMENT SERIES
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Calvin Klein advertisement series
Calvin Klein Underwear advertisements have been provocative since the 1980’s and 90’s.
Kate Moss was the seasons face of Calvin Klein in 1992. Iconic Calvin Klein figure and public
man crush, Mark Walberg Sits down on his butt in the advertisement facing the camera.
Seventeen-year-old Kate Moss positions herself on top of Mark with her top off and pulling him
to her chest (n.d. March 16, 2015). According to The Telegraph Kate Moss expressed uncertain
feelings about the photo shoot because she felt exposed straddling an older model (Holt 2016).
The public emphasized concern about the advertisement as a bad influence to the current state of
the youth. Using sexuality to shock the audience in terms of marketing did prove to be a very
effective way to stay in tune with youth culture (Holt, 2016). The chief of Calvin Klein’s
Marketing office, Melisa Goldie, has the responsibility for directing the company’s 21st century
marketing campaign. Since the 1980’s society has changed and conformed to social normal;
One issue Melisa Goldie faces is that a high controversial advertisement, is less likely to shock
and attract attention. A question Melisa Goldie would asked the Ad Campaign is “Does
sexuality still sell”. In recent years, other companies have caught up to Calvin Klein’s
provocative approach. it is Calvin Klein’s goal to continue producing the highest quality
advertisement and trump the competition. The decisions Calvin Klein’s ad campaign makes to
featured advertisements emphasizes multimedia’s, iconic public figures, and fallacies of
emotion. The visual analysis of three modern advertisements will help better understand the
decisions of Calvin Klein’s ad campaign.
Everyday thousands of people walk past a oversized billboard advertising the newest
products Calvin Klein has to offer. Across the middle in large font it says #mycalvins and on the
bottom Calvin Klein Jeans. It is a black and white picture of a man; his muscles look incredibly
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defined with the perfect lighting. The model is turned to his side and hurrying to pull his pants
up. They come up just under his butt to show off the his white and tight underwear. Calvin Klein
ad campaign uses new modern ways to get their viewers to interact with each advertisement. In
February 2014 CK began releasing Magazine ads, billboards, and Instagram posts with a hashtag
mycalvin’s written on it. A hashtag encourages the viewer to use social media to view other CK
advertisements or post a picture of themselves wearing the product. A constant online feed of
user generated material promotes the brand from a successful hashtag. “Since the launch in
February 2014 their Facebook has increased by 2.2 million followers, Instagram by 1.8 million
and Twitter by 1 million.(Leo, n.d.)”. The branding and implement of #mycalvins relates to the
past history Calvin Klein’s specific branding strategies. Appealing to the youth culture has
played a large roll in the decisions CK ad campaigns make. For example, the logo placement on
