Death of a strong advertising appeal?

Projecting the perfect man or woman. That has been one of the strongest appeals used by advertising in clothing and related areas over the years.

Raymond’s The Complete Man campaign, which has been running for over 25 years, has been given a quiet burial by the company. Does that imply that the appeal itself has lost its appeal? Are their greater appeals than perfection (or being complete) when it comes to man-woman relationship?

Independent brand strategy advisor Prabhakar Mundkur looks at the Raymond campaign in his column.

The new Raymond TV features visually impaired Canadian singer and writer Jugpreet Singh Bajwa. He provides “his interpretation of black for the new Black Collection of fabrics”.

“Raymond's latest film has proved to be a complete departure from the previous tone and personality of the brand,” he writes. “Almost like moving from an opera house into a hard rock concert without a transition to adjust to the change.”

On the Raymond campaign, Mundkur quotes Sumit Roy, long-time trainer and innovation consultant, as saying, "The Complete Man worked because women actually chose suiting brands, not men. Apparently, we men can't decide on suits without having a woman at our side. While I am always for long-running campaigns, The Complete Man is now over 25 years old. Do women like ‘sensitive men’ any more…? Times may have changed."