Paul Smith Underwear…The New Red Bull?

English apparel company Paul Smith, has filmed an emotionally rattling moment and is sharing this inspirational video through their advertisements. Capturing the same contagious formula by which Red Bull’s videos are relentlessly shared, their video showcase unique special moments which make you bite your fist and nibble your finger and toe nails down to the cuticles.

Tightrope walking between cliffs in underwear, balancing upside down on a cliff, and rock climbing to the top of the French Alps are just some of the feats they accomplish in the 3 minute promo.

The mens underwear line recruited slackliners Antoine Moineville and Tancrède Melet to perform in their ad. Unlike the equally stimulating GoPro Camera ads, which are directly tied towards the usage of the camera, the question that begs to be asked is; what does hanging upside on a rope 2500 meters high off the ground in underwear have to do with the product’s features?

If you answered “Nothing!” you are partially correct.

Sure, demonstrating the flexibility is great but the executives behind the ads are not focusing on the actual product but instead the brand.

This ad successfully accomplishes two things using Engagement Marketing:

1. Brand awareness
2. Positive brand sentiment

Creating a relevant brand that remains fresh is an on-going task. Red Bull from its sponsoring off extreme sports to the infamous Space Jump, garnered extreme hype and left a mark in history.

However the dilemma that exists is the difference in the root of the companies; Red Bull is in the consumer beverage industry and Paul Smith in the fashion industry.

The foundations of fashion are based on evolution and constant change.  The nature of the fast-paced industry puts a shelf-life on the extreme personality of Paul Smith’s new advertisements.

Check out the equally amazing behind the scenes clip below:

Also if you did not catch Red Bull’s 120 000 foot Space Jump by stuntman Felix Baumgartner, see below: