Dive Brief:
- Coach launched a campaign, “Find Your Courage,” that pairs virtual influencer imma with celebrity ambassadors Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, Youngji Lee, Kōki and Wu Jinyan, per a press release.
- The effort, an extension of its previous “The Courage to Be Real” campaign, is inspired by artificial intelligence (AI) and sees imma visit each ambassador in their own virtual worlds in a series of videos. The fashion house will also bring the campaign to gaming platforms and its Coach Tabby Shop pop-up.
- “Find Your Courage” looks to engage younger consumers around the complexities of identity and the changing definition of what it means to be “real,” themes of self-expression often found in marketing targeting Gen Z.
Dive Insight:
Coach is entreating consumers to find their courage with a campaign that fuses a reliable tactic — celebrity brand ambassadors — with an emerging one: the use of virtual influencers. Utilizing imma allows the fashion house to underline the changing of idea of being “real,” whether speaking toward personal authenticity or the vagaries of the physical-virtual divide.
“’Find Your Courage’ is meant to inspire our consumers to seek out all possibilities for who they can be, despite the tensions and expectations in life they might feel,” said Coach Global Chief Marketing Officer and North America President Sandeep Seth in a statement.
Imma, produced by Aww Inc., is billed in press materials as a “virtual human, model and digital creator” and takes her name from the Japanese word for “now.” The character debuted in 2018 and has appeared in content for Nike, Puma, Calvin Klein and other brands.
“For us, imma is the perfect ambassador to tell this story because she is challenging the notion of what we consider ‘real’ today. Her journey in our campaign takes us into a new world that pushes the boundaries of self-expression and inspires us along the way,” said Seth.
Across five campaign videos, imma will visit the virtual world of each brand ambassador and learn about their unique “superpower.” The first video stars pop idol Lil Nas X and a virtual, life-sized chess board as the he teaches imma to “change the game.” Future videos will feature rapper Youngji Lee, model Kōki and actors Camila Mendes and Wu Jinyan and revolve around taking risks, breaking the mold, evolving and exploring new possibilities.
The effort was inspired by AI, which has seen renewed interest with the rise of generative AI technology like ChatGPT. Vallée Duhamel served as director while photography was handled by Charlie Engman. Along with the campaign videos, “Find Your Courage” includes gaming and experiential activations that could extend its reach in real and online worlds.
