"Diesel is an iconic brand that goes against the ordinary, and
for this I am really proud my agency has been chosen as its
partner," he said in a statement. "When people think of Diesel, the
first thing that comes to mind, besides the quality of the
products, is undoubtedly a powerful communication that has always
been ahead of time."
Diesel was Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Lions
International Festival of Creativity in 1998 and is best known for
its long running "For Successful Living" campaign, which started in
1991 and has been used on and off ever since.
In 2010, Diesel's global "Be Stupid" campaign won a Grand Prix
in the Outdoor Lions category at Cannes but was banned in the U.K.
by the Advertising Standards Authority. One of the ads featured a
girl on a stepladder flashing her breasts at a CCTV camera, while
another featured a woman pointing a lens inside her bikini bottoms.
That campaign was done by Anomaly during a previous stint as agency
of record, which ended in 2010 soon after Anomaly's Grand
Prix-winning work. In between then and Anomaly's return in 2016,
Diesel worked with Fred & Farid Shanghai, Amsterdam-based
SuperHeroes, and CP&B, among others.
Anomaly Amsterdam's more recent work for the brand broke in
February this year, with a theme of "Make
Love Not Walls." In true Diesel style it featured
unconventional ballet dancing, same-sex kissing, and an inflatable
rainbow tank.
"In a seemingly limitless world that is smartphone dominant, we
are trapped into conformity more than we could ever imagine.
Together with Publicis, we will enjoy discovering a different
point-of-view about things without taking ourselves too seriously,"
said Diesel Artistic Director Nicola Formichetti in a
statement.
Diesel parent company OTB Group also owns other unconventional
clothing brands including Viktor & Rolf, Maison Margiela and
Marni.
Diesel spent $11.4 million on measured media in the U.S. in
2016, according to Kantar Media.
