Within the brotherhood of London department
stores, Harvey Nichols plays the role of the rebellious sibling very well. Sat
aptly in the heart of Belgravia, the stores windows, buying choices and
advertising campaigns tend to demonstrate a stark contrast to the
conventionally inoffensive shopping experiences of its neighbors.
Thus, there is no surprise that the new campaign
to support the emporiums ‘Harvey Nichols
Rewards App’ follows this aesthetic for provocativeness. As far as a campaign
goes, the advert is a work of genius. It is stands out from the nonchalant
promotional campaigns of its peers, it demands attention and more importantly,
is an entertaining watch.
The advert demonstrates a series of CCTV
images of shoplifters stealing goods from the store. Their faces are replaced
with comic book archetypes of the burglar, clad in black eye masks and the
classic woolen hat or balaclava. The characters show whimsical shiftiness in
all of their ‘Beano’ comic glory. They
are charmingly dippy, and as usual, the hero’s of the story (in this case
Harvey Nichols security staff) are given the last laugh as the cartoons are
inevitably chased down in true Benny Hill fashion.
As well as black eye masks, the campaign exemplifies
some further stereotypes of people that we might expect to be ‘thiefs’ or
criminals in the UK. We have the sports thugs. He dons trainers, a hoodie, his
sleeve-stripe jacket and of course the quintessential baseball cap. She wears a
furry fitted puffa jacket, bright blonde hair and large hoop earrings. Next up,
the diamond geezer. His hair is oiled and coiffed. He is quick with his hands,
and will even give you a cheeky wave and a wink while he pockets your wedding
ring. You know, that old chestnut.
Now. Let’s consider for a minute the
realities of shoplifting. Loss prevention staff are trained that every customer
that enters the store is by chance a shoplifter. They are taught that the
majority of shoplifting happens purely from opportunity. If something looks
easy to steal without getting caught, then why not, right? They are also
expected to exclude any judgments in regards to race, class, sex, or how
someone is dressed when dealing with shoplifters. If they did pass judgment on
these factors, rich stay-at-home mothers with babies would be disregarded
completely. This of course, would be irresponsible, considering the babies
buggy is a known shop lifting technique and scapegoat, as well as the fact that
kleptomania is not exclusive to those who cannot afford the goods that are
being shoplifted.
So keeping that in mind, why are the
cartoons in the advert modeled on fashions we typically relate to the poor
working-class?
The use of Wiley’s song ‘What U Call It’ only
supports this notion. UK Grime music is a genre of music born and bred by
Britain’s lower classes. Fortunately, it is recognized as an original genre of
music that is exclusive to their identity. Unfortunately, it is commonly used
in the media to dance along to the beat of criminality, violence and
wrongdoing. This is no fresh way to represent Britain’s poorest as ‘urban’ degenerates.
Arguably, the song was used to draw in new
audiences to Harvey Nichol’s premium sportswear department. Sportswear plays a
heavy role in the fashion of grime music, and this reputation has followed and
manifested itself ever-since the dawn of the genre. Premium sportswear
consumers to listen to grime, and Wiley’s ‘What U Call It’ is a classic after
all. But is this just wishful thinking? Is the advert nothing short of an
expose of department stores elitist attitude towards it’s desired customer
base?
Upon watching the advert all that sprung to
mind was the Mitchell Brothers music video for ‘Harvey Nics’. With that in
mind, who is the joke really on here?
