Skims to air first TV ad—behind Kim Kardashian brand’s Oscars approach

Kim Kardashian has many personas. There’s Kim the Celebrity, Kim the Fashion Icon, Kim the Entrepreneur and Kim the Creative Director. This Sunday, consumers will see even more versions of her in the first TV commercial for Skims, the shapewear line Kardashian co-founded five years ago. In the 60-second ad, which will run nationally multiple times during Academy Awards pre-shows on ABC and E, Kardashian appears as 24 different characters, including a lab assistant, test subject and scientist. It comes from Wieden+Kennedy Portland, which was hired as a creative partner for the new campaign following a competitive pitch last year. Skims is rolling out a short 15-second teaser spot today ahead of the longer film debuting on Sunday. “This is our first really big commercial and it was important for me to be in it,” said Kardashian, who is Skims’ chief creative officer, in an interview this week. “And if I do something I have to do it all the way with [nearly] 30 characters.” The ad is the latest in a series of firsts for Skims, which in its short existence has grown into a brand valued at $4 billion. It follows the company’s expansion into menswear in the fall and a three-year NBA deal—including the WNBA and USA Basketball—that was announced shortly thereafter. Later this year, Skims plans to open its first brick-and-mortar flagship stores in Los Angeles and New York. Also read: Oscars ad demand rises “We felt that it was time to get into TV and it’s a very different medium from the content that we produce,” said Jens Grede, CEO and co-founder of Skims. “We wanted to reach an audience that didn’t exist perhaps in the avenues of social and popular culture of which we tend to play and we wanted to go beyond that in terms of finding an audience.” Before now, Skims has made headlines for digital campaigns built on pop-culture moments. For example, last year’s Valentine’s Day ads featured two female stars from the popular HBO series “White Lotus.” Several campaigns, such as a video last fall touting Skims’ new nipple bra, also star Kardashian. Sunday’s ad takes the concept a step further with its “Klones.” The video, which cultivates a futuristic vibe, takes place in a Skims lab in outer space. It showcases the thorough test process each Skims garment goes through before hitting the market—and the lengths Kardashian goes to herself to ensure quality assurance. The spot was directed by Frank Lebon and is set to 1975’s “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright. Kardashian was filmed multiple times in her different roles. “It took us three days to shoot it because I didn’t want to use AI and replicate myself,” she said. In a statement, Azsa West, co-chief creative officer of Wieden+Kennedy Portland, said that each element of the film, including Lebon’s direction, the soundtrack and Kim’s plethora of characters, “had a distinct purpose in helping bring the Skims world to life in an out of this world kind of way.” The ad will run twice on ABC's “Countdown to Oscars” on Sunday and six times during E’s “Oscars Red Carpet.” After Sunday, the campaign will run on streaming and broadcast TV platforms for a few months, Grede said. In addition, the “Skims Lab” work will include outdoor digital buys in New York and Los Angeles ahead of the store openings. Horizon handled media duties. “We are a brand that exists at the intersection of popular culture and commerce and as such we want to be part of all major cultural moments throughout the year,” Grede said, noting a recent campaign it did with Usher that was unveiled days before he performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. Later this year, Skims will run advertising during the NBA Playoffs as it builds on its relationship with the NBA. That creative will likely be new, Grede said. In addition, the brand plans to continue its push into menswear. The collection is already performing well, said Kardashian. “We thought we were just going to have the women on our site buying for the men in their lives, but we had the majority of new customers that were male purchasing it for themselves—that was big,” she said. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Skims to air first TV ad—behind Kim Kardashian brand’s Oscars approach

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