Calvin Klein. Private quality.
Calvin Klein made you pay three times more for underwear, branding something nobody sees, and built a four billion dollar business. The best logo is the one only you know about.
THE GIST ON CALVIN KLEIN: "Private Quality"
How did underwear change?
Men's underwear splits into two periods: before Calvin Klein and after. Before, it was utilitarian and nobody cared about the brand. You put your logo on things people can see, things that signal status.
Calvin Klein realised underwear is where the logo is just for you. You don't sell the underwear. You sell the image of who you can become in it.
How did he sell it?
In 1982 he spent half a million dollars putting an Olympic pole vaulter on a billboard in Times Square. So much so that people stole bus shelter posters at night, and Bloomingdale's sold 65 grand's worth in two weeks.
What did we get wrong about value?
The received wisdom is that brands are about showing status outwardly. Calvin Klein proved the opposite: the privacy was the point. When something is just for you, it matters more.
Look at what we actually spend on: the interior of the car over the exterior, bedding over the sofa, how a home feels over how it photographs. We're not as shallow as we think. We value private quality, maybe even more than public perception.
Do you spend more on what's private or what's seen?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
What did Calvin Klein do differently with underwear?
It branded something worn out of sight, so the logo was just for the wearer.
What was the 1982 campaign?
A half a million dollar Times Square billboard of an Olympic pole vaulter.
What does Huw say about how we spend?
We spend on private things like car interiors and bedding more than on what others see.
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