Bluefly Gets Busy

Last week, we reported on Bluefly’s risqué new print ad campaign; naked girl on a subway platform essentially selling us clothes. This week, they’ve kept us talking as they’ve taken their saucy sales pitch to the tube.

Like the print ad, the television spot entitled “The Catch,” uses shock value and sex appeal to paint a picture of a successful, empowered—and don’t forget fashionable—modern woman.

It goes a little something like this; hot guy asks beautiful colleague to dinner, beautiful colleague gives a flirtatious, feeble acceptance. Attractive pair tongues sushi. Hot guy leaves the table to take a phone call. Beautiful girl takes the initiative to jump his bones in the coat room (good choice by beautiful girl, hot guy is really, pretty hot). Attractive pair goes back to his place. Relations ensue. Beautiful girl spends the night, but covers her bases by ordering an outfit from Bluefly and successfully avoids walk-of-shame. Click here to see for yourself.

Let me just throw this out there; I would call myself a realist. But most people—especially those who know me—DO call me a cynic. Therefore, when viewing this ad, I cannot help but be overwhelmed with questions posed by reality:

How did she get his address? Well, they seem to work together so maybe she knows where he lives. But apartment number, zip code? Hmm. And what about the shipping? Which carrier is offering this midnight express? Maybe DHL? I don’t know so much about their plans. Must cost a fortune!! Hmmm.

But in advertising reality, these details don’t mean a thing. This is art, and if we interpret it literally we lose half the message. The print ad girl wasn’t really naked on the subway platform, and the commercial girl didn’t really order post-coital work clothes to some dude’s apartment.

These women are similar in the sense that they will let nothing get in the way of their desires. For one, it’s the perfect outfit. For the other, it’s getting busy with a beautiful man. And as I have said before, who can disagree with that?

With this advertising campaign, Bluefly is promoting a modern woman who can have her cake and eat it too. The job, the clothes, the sex. And at this point, Bluefly is not only outfitting these women, they are re-assuring and promoting them in this take-charge lifestyle.

Final Word: As long as you make it to work in the morning, go out, get laid, and never, ever pay retail.