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PHILADELPHIA
— Exploiting the family jewels to sell precious gems
seemed like a good way for
Scott Slobotkin
to get recession-weary customers into his
Bucks County, Pa.
, store.
After
all, sex sells.
But when
Slobotkin, owner of
David Jay Jewelers
, launched a Web site where viewers could undress models
Maya and Bobby by clicking on their clothing, he didn't
know he was part of the latest trend in fashion
advertising: interactive disrobing.
Beginning
last fall, a handful of popular labels including
Wrangler, Puma,
Calvin Klein
, and Victoria's Secret have been vying for our online
attention by teasing us with strip shows.
"Putting
ads in magazines or running commercials on television
wasn't enough," said Slobotkin, 33, who is actively
trying to attract a younger demographic. Besides, when
you have to log in for the privilege at www.davidjayjewelers.com,
the benefits for the company are great. "We wanted
to build a database and acquire e-mail addresses as well
as get fans on Facebook."
I'm not
saying that skin is new to fashion advertising. Remember
those entangled limbs of teens in early-millennium
Abercrombie & Fitch
catalogs? But the latest technology that allows you to
believably strip someone of their clothes right on your
computer screen updates the experience, making it far
more titillating. And because we are such voyeurs, what
better way to get us to come (and linger) on a Web site
than by promising nudity — even if it's just a hint.
(When you take off the models' clothes on David Jay's
site, their bare essentials are camouflaged by big bling.)
"People
are spending 5, 10, even 15 minutes on these
sites," said
Steve Red
, president of
Philadelphia
-based advertising company
Red Tettemer
. "To get that kind of engagement in a brand is
priceless. ... Not to mention, it's viral. People just
have to pass it along."
I did.
When I
went to the Web site advertising Wrangler's
Blue Bell
collection (http://eu.wrangler.com/bluebell/#/collection),
I peeled off a few layers worn by a bearded,
Patrick Dempsey
-esque model. And then, I was able to drag him to and
fro across the screen. I didn't understand the point,
but it didn't stop me from forwarding the link to a few
friends, one of whom said it was "empowering"
to have such control over a man.
Have you
seen the Calvin Klein X-marks-the-spot commercials? Even
more risque, four models — including Mehcad Brooks,
the hottie from HBO's "True Blood" — look in
the camera, pull at their undies and ask, "Do you
want to see my ... ?"
Puma took
the concept even further. By downloading a free app on
your iPhone, users can watch a model undress depending
on the success of the stock market: When the market is
doing well, the model is dressed. But when things go
south, so do most of his (or her — you get to
customize your model) clothes. He ends up wearing his
Puma Bodywear. If you show the Puma Index app to a Puma
sales clerk, you get 20 percent off the price of your
purchase that day.
It's a
stretch, of course. Are naked people on your phone
enough to cheer you when the stock market plummets?
I didn't
think so.
Still,
the trend isn't limited to Web sites. The go-to gimmick
is invading all of pop culture, forcing people to sit up
and take notice. When J-Lo wanted to make a comeback
earlier this year, she put on a see-through jumpsuit. In
March,
Erykah Badu
released a new video for her single Window Seat. After
being absent from the music scene for a while, what was
the hook? She walked down the street stripping off her
clothes until she was naked.
And Kate
where-has-she-been-lately Moss is on the cover of French
Vogue this month, crawling along the beach in her
birthday suit.
I wanted
the nudity trend to be about something deeper, perhaps a
symbolic stripping down of our metaphoric selves, trying
to rebuild what's important, whether it be our financial
institutions, media outlets, or health care industry.
But it's
just about sales.
When
Slobotkin launched his
$10,000
Web site in early April, he got more than 1,000 hits on
the first day. Once customers register online, they get
a 20 percent coupon. Within three weeks, about half a
dozen people used it — in the jewelry world, that's
considered an impressive response rate to an
advertisement.
"It
has worked for us," Slobotkin said. "We are
pushing the line, but that's what it's all about these
days."
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