Doc Martens launched an ad campaign last week in the United Kingdom that featured four dead rock stars — Kurt Cobain, Joey Ramone, Sid Vicious and Joe Strummer — wearing the boots in heaven. “We wanted to communicate that Dr. Martens boots are ‘made to last,’” explains writer Andrew Petch of the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising firm, who created the ads. “We discovered that these idolized musicians wore them. Showing them still wearing their Docs in heaven dramatized the boots’ durability perfectly. And, as images, they feel very iconic.” In addition to generally being completely tasteless (Using dead rock stars to promote shoes that are “made to last?” Oh brother.), the ads drew flak from Courtney Love and Mickey Leigh, brother of the late Joey Ramone. “Obviously, we are in the same position as Courtney Love, as well as the estates of the others depicted [in the ad],” Leigh said in a statement. “We were never consulted about this ad. We were never asked for permission to use Joey’s image, or paid for the use of it. As executor of my brother’s estate I never would have approved this ad as Joey never wore these shoes. And, not that my brother was terribly religious, but the fact that he was Jewish, and this ad is not exactly Kosher, makes it that much more inappropriate, inconsiderate and contemptible.” Doc Martens summarily fired Saatchi & Saatchi, and CEO David Suddens groveled for an apology in People. “We never should have done that,” he told the magazine. “It’s not a campaign we want to be associated with.”
Originally published at TousledElegance.net. Please leave any comments there.
Edited: June 4th, 2007
