JKR

HUGO Fragrances have created their first international HUGO Create contest, with the idea of creating a range of materials such as music posters and vinyl covers starring the HUGO Man bottle, represented via mediums such as illustration, photography, collage and typography. All contributed by the “general public”. This links the brand to its target audience, builds the essence, and becomes a global celebration of visual creativity. And it provides HUGO with a number of advertising options across the globe for free.

Recently, Absolut also put the creativity into the hands of regular people, with a campaign showing Japanese fashionistas interpreting the brand through their clothing. But the results of celebrating “the creativity in everyone” delivered some of Absoluts’ least distinctive or clever work yet. Joining brand and consumer feels quite zeitgeis-ty in our age of digital virtual communities, and it’s certainly good for creating a fashionable buzz around the brand. But does this somewhat scattergun approach lose the more precise focus around visual brand building offered by “professionally produced” campaigns?