The 4 Marketing Communication lessons in Van Heusen Flex’s UFC showdown commercial

Sure, Van Heusen Flex has been around for a while now, but the use of UFC superstars, Stephen Thompson and TJ Dillashaw in a just released spot has hit the right notes in terms of novelty. Does the new communique work for the brand and the differential it’s trying to convey to its target group? I for one am convinced, and here are 4 reasons why.  

It’s BELIEVABLE – The believability factor is the key to getting a differential to be accepted and internalized. Buyers must believe in the veracity of what is being conveyed. Who better to convey flex and what it can do than UFC superstars? If there are people who stretch, twist, and turn, it must be them, right?

It’s WATCHABLE – Never mind the differential, the first challenge marketing communicators face is to get buyers to pick their communique from among the clutter. Note, buyers are wired to block communiques. This one cuts through the clutter with the stars and the sequence it features. For its target audience, this one is a standout to be picked for viewing.

It’s ASPIRATIONAL – A conspicuous category product will have much going for it if it can push its target buyers into the ‘aspirational’ zone. To aspire, buyers must be exposed to imagery that prompts admiration while simultaneously getting them to mull over their own inadequacies. To adorn clothes that fit and stretch when needed on bodies like those the UFC fighters sport is what men fantasize about. Van Heusen has packaged that fantasy well and aligned it to the flex proposition in crackling style.

It’s RELATABLE – In the end, men can relate to the problems of ‘stiff’ clothing that limits body movements. Many have even suffered the ‘rip’ consequences of such clothes. The embarrassment when that happens can be only truly be understood by those who have ‘suffered’. Clothing that stretches and glues to a perfect body fit is manna from heaven for men. That they can relate perfectly well to the problem that Van Heusen Flex solves, and the way it is conveyed is why the brand’s communique hits home big time!