Translated by
Roberta HERRERA
Published
Feb 9, 2022
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Bad Bunny x Jacquemus: The marketing strategy of the latest campaign causing a stir on Instagram

Translated by
Roberta HERRERA
Published
Feb 9, 2022

A photograph of rapper Bad Bunny at the foot of a swimming pool, dressed in a fluorescent green suit and spraying himself with a hose, surprised Jacquemus followers on Instagram on Monday evening, February 7. "A sneak preview of the next collection... with one of my favorite artists," announced the Marseille-based designer by way of a teaser as he shared stories about his latest collaboration: a partnership with the Puerto Rican singer as the star of his latest campaign. The collection entitled "Le Splash", was photographed by Tom Kneller and Zoey Radford Scott in Miami last January. The flashy and playful aesthetics of the images are no doubt a logical marketing tool for the French fashion house.


Jacquemus



Just look at those numbers. The series of images already exceeded 600,000 likes on the brand's profile after only 24 hours of being posted. Just a few days ago, the media mogul Kim Kardashian (with 285 million Instagram followers) managed to exponentially multiply internet searches for certain Balenciaga products by fronting its latest campaign, and Simon Porte-Jacquemus did not hesitate in following suit and taking cues from influencers of other sectors in order to continue strengthening his brand’s communication strategy. He went on to choose one of the most internationally known Latin trap stars and the first Spanish-speaking singer to top the US Billboard 200 for this occasion. These figures confirm Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s standing as an icon of international influence. The urban performer already boasts 37.8 million followers on Instagram, regardless of whether his profile feed consists of a single post. In 2021, he revalidated his position as one of Spotify's most streamed artists, ranking ahead of both Taylor Swift and BTS, with a whopping 9.1 billion streams. 

The power of urban reggaeton and modern masculinity in the media 

This media trend is not only a great asset for Jacquemus in terms of visibility but has also contributed to producing a coherent partnership in terms of brand identity. The creative, who for his part has more than 4.1 million followers on his favorite social platform, Instagram, (where he combines images of everyday life, inspirational posts, and updates on his eponymous brand) has already expressed his love for pop and urban music in the past. Without going any further, personalities like Dua Lipa and the Spaniards Rosalía, Aaron Piper and Guitarricadelafuente have already worn his clothes and have even attended his most recent fashion shows, helping garner a consequential attention in the media and opening international markets for the French firm. Beyond the musical field, the brand has a list of ambassadors who are loyal to the brand, even including Simon's own friends that usually extend to renowned celebrities such as sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, top models Bella Hadid and Mica Argañaraz, and actresses such as Úrsula Corberó and HoYeon Jung, who were popularized internationally after starring in the Netflix series "La casa de papel" and "Squid Game" respectively.


Jacquemus



Jacquemus possesses a remarkable ability to increase the desirability of the brand through the support of a wide variety of trending personalities and their subsequent media amplifications and shows off this talent once again with “one of his favorite artists”. Beyond hits like "Callaita" or "Dakiti", Bad Bunny is considered one of today’s musical figures representing a renewed definition of masculinity, which distances itself from the traditional toxic traits and travels towards a fluid aesthetic. At the age of 27, the singer tried to revisit the historically sexist reggaeton codes in his music video for his single "Yo perreo sola". The video was not exempt from criticism after the rapper appeared dressed in various female outfits, dancing suggestively in front of a sign with the slogan “Ni una menos” (Not one less). In addition, the artist characterized by his experimental fusion of musical genres, usually incorporates skirts to his closet and has already publicly spoken against transphobia by denouncing on television the murder of a trans woman in Puerto Rico in 2020.

These reasons are probably why the Puerto Rican felt at ease in front of the lens of the Jacquemus campaign, in which he posed casually and true to his eccentric style, where he’s seen wearing a pair of bright green shorts, a fuchsia quilted vest aboard a jet ski and a yellow knitted sweater accessorized with a turquoise heart-shaped hair accessory featuring the Jacquemus logo. The photo shoot, faithful to the Miami lifestyle, includes a couple of images of the singer wearing a pink mini dress paired with white socks and pastel blue heels, a clear nod to Brad Pitt's photographs for Rolling Stone in 1999.


Jacquemus


Bad Bunny is part of a wave of the Latin music genre reinventing its own codes that have progressively captured the attention of fashion companies, from sportswear brands to luxury brands. Examples of this are Bad Bunny himself, who has collaborated several times with Adidas and is a staunch supporter of the luxury products of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and JW Anderson. The Colombian reggaeton singers, J. Balvin and Maluma, are regulars at fashion weeks and are often seen wearing Moschino, Balmain and even Pyer Moss. Besides being a global ambassador for Guess, J. Balvin has collaborated with Nike to create his own Air Jordan 1 model while Maluma has starred in campaigns for Versace and Havainas.  


The immense potential of the Latin American market



Brands are making the most of the region's influential power and recruiting Latin American performers, such as Danna Paola and Karol G., to be the face for their brands. The vast potential hidden within this large market comes as no surprise. Just before the outbreak of the pandemic, Euromonitor defined it as one of the markets with the greatest potential for rapid growth in the luxury segment in the world. In this geographical area alone, the region reached a value of 11 billion dollars (around 9639 million euros), led by Mexico and Brazil.

These business prospects did not seem to go unnoticed by the French designer, who announced in 2020 that he would switch to presenting his collections as co-ed shows during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. After holding his last show in July 2021, the Marseillaise was absent from the latest edition of fashion week earlier this year. The date for his upcoming presentation, and if it will count on Bad Bunny’s stellar presence, is yet to be announced.  

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