The Brief

In Australia, the premium suit market is dominated by global brands that aggressively promote their international prestige. As a relatively new, local menswear company, our client M.J. Bale was at a significant disadvantage. With low awareness and low brand recognition we were low on the consideration list. But, we knew that over 50% of our suits are sold to members of the banking and finance industry. And if there’s one thing those guys crave, it’s POWER. So, our challenge was to make them feel more powerful in our suits than any of our competitors could.

Creative Execution

We took two products we knew appealed to our target audience, and built them into one. Men working in finance and banking aspire to alpha status. They’re also very focused on money. They want a suit that makes them look and feel powerful. Inspired by this insight, we invented a way for them to act like the world’s most powerful men. So, just like a tycoon, celebrity or double agent, they’d never have to reach for their wallet again.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

With a history of innovation, we got M.J. Bale to do something truly powerful: embed their product with a financial platform. In collaboration with Visa and Heritage Bank, we wove a contactless payment chip and antenna into the sleeve, enabling the wearer to pay for anything invisibly. By partnering with a bank, we gained access to their database and sent suit bags doubling as credit card application forms to high value clientele. The suits were also made available in-store and as part of a Heritage Bank competition, allowing anyone to own one of the world’s most powerful suits.

Results

In only its first week since launch we’ve achieved: 100% uptake on first round of suits offered. 171,000,000 earned media impressions. 120+ stories including TV features on the NBC Today Show, Australian Channels 7, 9 and 10 plus global coverage from Yahoo! News, CNET, Gizmodo, IT Wire, International Business Times and PSFK, all linking back to M.J Bale’s website. We started by engaging 10 key influencers to trial the suits, spearheaded by Executive Style, a print and online hub targeting finance professionals. The Power Suit created genuine desire for the brand and led an international conversation about stylish wearable technology.