This is a really nice point they make here in this spot for
JC Penney menswear. At first I didn’t get where they were going with it, but
then they drove the point home, and it’s a good point.
(What the ad says is that we hear that the clothes make the
man, but they think the man makes the clothes. I thought they meant that “The Man”,
as in an oppressive entity, makes the clothes, forcing us into rigid styles that are not true to the individual, and that they’re going to free us
from “The Man” with their more personal clothes, but instead they make the point that a man can make the look of his clothes happen in the way he wears them, thereby creating a specific personal
style.)
But the problem with this point in an ad for menswear is
this: if the man makes the clothes work, or creates the style in the way he
wears it, then what difference does it make where he buys his clothes?
But maybe that’s what they’re trying to say here anyway
without having to come out and say it: men make their style work, so why buy
your clothes at expensive clothing stores or from overprices brands when you
can get it here at JC Penney for much less? Maybe they want us to draw our own
conclusion, like I just did, and not beat us over the head with an overly
specific message.
(Again, I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to find this ad online
to show you. But I’m sure it will make the rounds on TV.)
