Diesel Launches Mysterious Viral Campaign

News & Trends: Luxury fashion house Diesel has traveled down a new path in promoting its brand by producing a large array of surreal black and white videos and print ads that are virtually cryptic and sometimes disturbing. The series is the product of a renewed partnership between the Diesel Creative Team, led by Creative Director Wilbert Das and the respected Swedish agency FarFar. Each movie is different and viewers will find there is something oddly captivating about the enigmatic series. Some films, like Meat Puppet, Hair Bath and Dance Party are broken into episodes. Others seem to stand on their own.

Throughout the montage of dark films, viewers are encouraged to call either 888-559-5759 or 1-559-272-0709. Upon calling, listeners are told to leave a message and that it may be broadcast "across the universe." The speaker says, "Thank you for call, we knew that you would, we want to help you, soon we will be broadcasting live..." While watching Hair Bath, in which a beautiful woman bathes in a vintage style tub filled with hair, viewers are given an address -PO Box 186 Hillsdale, New Jersey- so they may send locks of hair; a gesture that inevitably makes the mysterious Hair Collector ecstatic.

During the course of the many movies on Diesel.com, Roman numerals are present. Viewers will find the numbers pop up in both glaringly obvious places as well as less noticeable ones. During Dance Party, dancers clad only in their underwear participate in a dance competition wearing black bags over their faces; each bag worn displays a roman numeral. In between segments, Roman numerals flash on the screen provoking the idea that there may be a hidden meaning.



Cryptic messages and small hints indicate there may be more movies released in the near future. Or there is more to discover on the Web, much like the Cloverfield viral campaign that took fans on a virtual scavenger hunt over a span of multiple sites. One of the films features a man that states, "This is the chance of a lifetime. Don't blow it." Indicating a call to action viewers can only be unsure of. Pete, the Meat Puppet, is present in only two episodes thus far. However, before his mother - a butcher - dies, she tells him to find "that meaning of life," indicating there may be more to come of the beastly little boy. Regardless, the next phase of this already intriguing campaign should get more interesting as time goes on.

As of late many fashion houses have been investing a lot of time, money and star power into creating short films to promote their lines. Some of the films are behind-the-scenes and some are movies with interesting story lines. None, however, are quite like those that have been released by Diesel. Check out the films that are captivating every member of the Diesel Cult at Diesel.com

For LxM Courtney Driver

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