What it had to solve
Promote the Strellson autumn/winter 2016 collection and define a contemporary attitude for the brand's menswear.
The idea
A surreal brand music video set to MNEK's commissioned cover of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now', launched on Mercury's 70th birthday.
How it works
Directed by Wolf & Lamm, the film follows a flamboyant lead through a bizarre world of obstacles in Strellson suiting; MNEK's cover was released on streaming platforms.
What it did
MNEK's cover of 'Don't Stop Me Now' was released officially on all major streaming platforms, and the film defined the 'Make yourself unstoppable' message for the collection.
Background
For its autumn/winter 2016 collection, Swiss-German menswear brand Strellson wanted to define a new attitude for a generation of Strellson-wearing men. With Serviceplan Campaign X it built the campaign around music: a commission for Grammy-nominated producer and singer MNEK to record a contemporary version of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now', released on what would have been Freddie Mercury's 70th birthday, 5 September 2016.
The 'Make yourself unstoppable' film, directed by Wolf & Lamm (Joffrey Jans and Kai Kurve) with production by Wanda and Neverest, follows a flamboyant lead character dressed in Strellson suiting on a journey through a bizarre world full of unexpected obstacles — a fantastical music video that literalizes the song's relentless drive and the campaign message. MNEK, known for work with Beyoncé, Rudimental and Kylie Minogue, composed the new take on the classic with what the agency called the same unstoppable energy as the lyric.
Why it lands
A Queen cover gave the collection instant cultural stature while a current artist kept it aimed at younger buyers.
The birthday timing turned a media buy into a moment fans already cared about.
Making the campaign a genuine music video — with a streaming release — let the brand film live as entertainment first.
What you can take
Borrow cultural gravity with something new: commission a contemporary cover and launch on the legend's birthday, not just his catalog
Since then
MNEK's cover was released officially on all major streaming platforms, and 'Make yourself unstoppable' became the collection's defining message. LBB covered the work with full credits for Serviceplan Campaign X, Wolf & Lamm and production partners.
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