I’m not going to say much about the next incantation of the asinine We Are Animals marketing repositioning of Wrangler by Paris philosophers/ad men Fred & Farid, other than—how bloody trailblazing. Because the bombastic buzz bites from the agency press note about the red campaign—which has nothing to do with the Red campaign (to my knowledge)—is chock full of the pretentious malarkey that makes my business utterly suspect to begin with. Read and bleed from your brain with me:

“A powerful, visceral campaign centred on the human being’s most primary instincts. Men and women have been photographed in red waters or amidst the fury of twirling red dust. A new approach to the concept We Are Animals by a fit, strengthened Wrangler.”

Pure ruby hooey.

“Each image is a high dose of adrenalin, tension and passion, with red as the basic colour. Each character becomes the personification of the inner strength of an unleashed man, a sweeping animal alter ego.”

Just simply slip on a pair of cowboy jeans, stab yourself repeatedly, and, uh, get get yourself a coffee. The ads start appearing in March issues of mags. Maybe they could get Brett Favre to put on red war paint and demand a trade to the Chiefs. |images via: Coloribus|

If you watch television at all, especially television of the sporting variety, you’ve probably seen that sort of ambiguously gay commercial for Wrangler starring Brett Favre. Well, if there was ever an advertisement ripe for spoofing it is that spot, whose time has finally come.

In the commercial a bunch of manly dudes run around playing a game of sandlot football wearing Wrangler jeans, because that’s just what manly dudes do you see, but now manly dudes can play football in tiny jean shorts, just like God meant the game to be played.

via Peter Atencio

That is, until the neo post-modern existentialist French philosophers/admen Fred & Farid produce the next spot in their “We Are Animals” Wrangler campaign. Previously in this effort to remake/destroy the iconic American brand, F&F posited that the reason to buy Wrangler jeans was because life is meaningless. Now (watch video), they’ve “shot” (or used stock footage) a 14 second home movie of a crawling baby, tagline, logo….Product benefits? Entertainment? Logic? Overrated! For your next spot F&F, why not just randomly stick a camera out a window of your Paris office for :60 (idea: ©copyranter)? Related: very possibly the most annoying ad ever.

|Video: Agency Spy|

(Please watch the spot so that we may begin the discussion) After viewing this :45 “film” several times and thinking a bit, this is my conclusion: Famously egotistical hack French ad men Fred and Farid are trying to destroy the iconic American jeans brand. It is the only explanation I can come up with as to WHY this pretentious hooey was even produced. You paid for this pap, Wrangler? That copy is trés stupidly embarrassing. Life is meaningless…so wear Wrangler jeans. I’m sold! The commercial is a continuation of the brand’s We Are Animals campaign, which was launched with these fucking terrible coroner photo print ads. As Jean-Paul Sartre once supposedly said: “Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract that which is concrete.” Congrats Fred & Farid—this shit is evil bad.