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Mark Twain didn’t originate the saying, “the clothes make the man,” but he did famously add his own kicker to that old proverb: “Naked people have little or no influence on society.”
Men’s Wearhouse might agree, as the 50-year-old boutique retailer launches its first 2024 ads with new agency Party Land, experimenting with over-the-top humor and aiming to shake up its staid reputation as your dad’s formalwear shop.
In a campaign debuting ahead of Easter, having the right outfits do indeed make the man—a couple of smart suits allow the ad’s star to land a high-powered job and cut in on the father of the bride at a wedding reception.
The shop’s casual wear, meanwhile, takes the character to the golf course where he gets a hole in one despite being a total hack, catching the eye of the passing POTUS motorcade and snagging a marriage proposal from the female commander in chief.
The brand keeps its existing tagline, “Love the way you look,” but gets into cheeky territory as a way to modernize the image of the chain’s 630-plus stores for a younger audience.
“We’re trying to create mass reconsideration,” Matt Repicky, senior vice president and chief brands officer at parent company Tailored Brands, told ADWEEK. “We want people to say, ‘That’s not the Men’s Wearhouse I think I know.’”
‘Chest-puffing moment’
The brand chose the irreverent indie agency Party Land in late fall 2023 after a competitive pitch that included a handful of larger shops and holding company divisions vying for the business, Repicky said.
As part of the brief, Men’s Wearhouse wanted its breadth of product to get the spotlight, along with its customer service, which led to the different scenarios in the hero commercial and its 30-second version.