Who needs spin doctors when you can have the spin cycle? Advertisers are giving new meaning to the term "squeaky clean," setting cool marketing campaigns inside the new hot-people hot spot: the laundromat. Stronger than the stench of Clorox, more powerful than a dose of Wisk, the laundry room campaign is totally taking over American marketing.
It all started last year, when Sketchers strutted their stuff in front of some washing machines. Because of the ad, Sketchers scored Britney Spears and the cast of American Pie as its sole mates, and advertisers decided to change the Tide of teen marketing. Ever since then, it feels like you can't open up a magazine or visit a website without seeing a matching washer/dryer set. In August, it was the Adidas ads, featuring a woman in her underwear, chilling in a laundromat. She was doing her nails, and there were no Adidas shoes in sight. The caption read "Life is Good" and was probably speaking to all the guys reading the magazine. Next came the folks at Style.com, who came up with the tagline "Runways are Everywhere." Their proof? A woman in her underwear (surprise!), standing in front of some washers. Obviously, this chick was so dirty, she had to take off all of her clothes and wash her sins away. Thankfully, American Eagle realized that hard-ons and fabric softener don't go together. Their ad campaign features collegiate looks and cute guys, and the obligatory laundromat backdrop. Go to www.ae.com and check out their denim layout--dozens of pants photographed in front ofÉ you guessed it, washing machines.
And you thought you were the only one with a dryer fetish.
--By Faran Krentcil
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