Boycott Diesel — Again

I pass through Toronto’s Union Station every day on my way to and from work, and, most of the time, some company or other has purchased what must be called something like the ‘Deluxe Union Station Advertising Package.’ This includes not only every single poster spot on the subway platform, but also gigantic sticker-murals on many of the walls, staircases and turnstiles. This morning everything was bare, providing a nice respite from the near constant bombardment of advertising urbanites have to put up with every day, but, by the time I was heading home, the little worker-monkeys had been at the place, and what they concocted supremely pissed me off.

Yes, it seems Diesel is at it again. They’re one of these ‘edgy’ companies who pride themselves on their ‘edgy’ campaigns. Some ‘edgy’ examples from the past include the ubiquitous piles of young sexy waifs, the gay one, and this lovely one, which was previously used as a call for a boycott by Mediawatch. Their latest one, though, has gone in another direction and sunk to a unique low — it is basically a call to revel in the destruction of the Earth.

Hyperbole? Maybe, but the idea is so damn stupid and arrogant that I felt compelled to call for a boycott of my own (or at least make you agree with me that it’s stupid). To see what I’m talking about, go to www.Diesel.com, and then click on the picture of Mount Rushmore at bottom right. There’s a short video (which I’ve only seen half of because the player keeps screwing up at mid-point — is anyone else able to watch the whole thing?), after which you are brought back to the main page and subjected to a gallery of photos based on the theme . . . wait for it . . . Global Warming Ready.

That’s right everybody — Diesel’s new Spring Line is designed around the idea that when it gets really hot because of global warming, their clothes are going to be the best to wear. When there’s sand up to Abe Lincoln’s nose at Mount Rushmore, you and your anorexic model friend can slather each other in sunscreen in Diesel; when it’s so hot that parrots make their home in European piazzas, you can look suave in your all black denim outfit (um, wouldn’t that be ridiculously uncomfortable to wear in that kind of heat?); and, when all of Manhattan has been swamped by hundreds of feet of ocean, don’t worry, because the model who lives in the penthouse at the corner of (what used to be) 5th Ave. and 36th St. is lookin’ damn fine in her new dress and erotically toying with her svelte play-thing, despite the fact that the waters around them would be filled with millions upon millions of dead bodies.

Now, of course, they’re not really saying they don’t give a shit about global warming. This whole thing is ironic, you see. The whole point of the campaign, if you search through the site a bit, is to draw attention to the badness of global warming. They even have a link to An Inconvenient Truth! (they’re really ahead of the game, as you can see).

But the problem is this — the campaign goes too far; it’s past the point of irony to where it just becomes self-desctructive. If an organization such as, for example, The Sierra Club were to run a campaign like this, then it would be ironic, because the Sierra Club is not trying to sell you jeans and underwear. They would ask, ‘is this the future you want?’ and we would say no. When Diesel does it, it doesn’t look like they’re asking that question — it looks more like they’re saying ‘wouldn’t it be great if it was warm enough to dress like this all the time? Well, bring it on, because it’s sexy and we’re Global Warming Ready!’ So the company as a whole is either really that inconsiderate or just immensely dumb.

So boycott Diesel. Write angry e-mails and so-forth.

They’re way overpriced anyway. 03971semaj