Justin, baby, you've come a long way since your clean-cut days as heartthrob of one of those 1990s *NSUCK boy-bands dating Queen of Crazy, Britney Spears.
Musician, actor, producer and so much more, Justin Timberlake danced into fashion two years ago alongside long-time buddy and personal assistant Trace Ayala with their clothing line William Rast. To advertise, the brand wanted to "create a buzz" that would appeal to the "modern consumer"—or what we in the post-advertising age call the "audience." So it turned William Rast—really a combination of the founders' grandfathers' last names—into a character and started telling his story. Ten web-shorts give snapshots of the "modern hero"/lawless bad-boy's life. With leading lady and supermodel Erin Wasson, he embarks on adventures with mug-shots, marijuana and making-out with a gal named Birdie. Lots of making out. Justin co-wrote and co-directed the whole thing, after all.
The trailer released last month is a mashed-up montage describing "My Life As William Rast." Over the past few months, the behind-the-scenes scenes have been released, including the most recent, simply titled "Long Running":
Justin usually doesn't half-ass anything, and this campaign is no exception. It turned the brand into a character; more importantly, it told his story—in a compelling way and through its digital platform. In the post-advertising age, every brand will become a media company. So which is more important to the audience: the jeans or personality? Can you even separate the two?