Monday, May 23, 2011

Sexy ads push Obscene Jeans stock symbol


Fashion brands can justify employing sexy ads. The approach is especially relevant for a new denim brand with the name Obscene Jeans. Instead of selling jeans, however, its sexy online ad is designed to foster investor relations and sell shares.

I noticed the accompanying ad for Obscene Jeans on my Google stock portfolio page. As viewers check the status of stocks in their watch list, they also see a woman pulling up her blouse and the headline, "If you think I'm hot, you should see this stock! Ticker Symbol OBJE."

OBHE is the OTC symbol for Obscene Jeans Corp. The stock has been trading since January 2011, mostly between $2 and $3. The company bills itself as a lifestyle and apparel brand that "produces eye-popping denim fashion for the world's sexiest women." Rachel Stark-Capelli is designing the firm's first line which will be available in Fall 2011. A deal was recently inked so that Obscene Jeans and its product line will be distributed in China and Europe.

Research shows that sex in advertising is most effective when it is relevant to the brand. Sex and designer fashion is no-brainer but, I suppose, sex is expected when promoting a brand named "obscene." The word means to incite lust or to askew standards of decency and morality. As such, the brand compares itself to LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, but its name is more closely aligned with Playboy fashion and Porn Star Clothing.

The online ads have drawn some attention; some good, some not so good. Most of the talk has been speculation about the stock's value instead of its advertising. Though it's likely that much of the brand's initial attention was generated by its name and sexy online ads.