Can fashion be funny? How comedians became the faces of fall

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0:40Hello and welcome back to the Glossy Podcast. I'm your host, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, and I'm here with our international reporter Zofia Zviglinska. Hello, Zofia. Hello, Danny. We've got a fun, funny episode today. It'll be about humor. I don't know how humorous it will be on its own. We'll try. But last week I wrote a story for Glossy about the frequency with which comedians, specifically for my story, current and former Saturday Night Live stars were appearing in fashion brand campaigns. There was a big one, Please Don't Destroy. That's like those three young guys on SNL did this, I thought, pretty funny campaign with J.Crew.

1:18But then in looking at that, I saw there was a bunch of actually brand campaigns with SNL cast members recently. And so I wrote a story about that and how, you know, they're tapping into the cultural power of SNL and these actors. But we were talking afterwards about comedy in general and comedians in particular feel like they're quite common in fashion brand campaigns. And I thought we would go into a little bit more of some examples of that, why we think it's happening, whether we think it's smart, some of the risks associated with it, et cetera, et cetera. And to talk about that, we have a very special guest.

1:50We are here with Dana Carney. If you haven't heard Dana's name, you have almost certainly seen some of her work. Dana is the founder of Dana's House, a social first creative agency. They've worked with, Dana, kind of a dizzying number of brands when I was looking at your website portfolio. and a lot of brands that are super relevant to Glossy. Newly, Ugg, Sephora, Glossier, Hoka, Farfetch, Calvin Klein. There was a focus on social first content, but the form that that takes is quite diverse. You've done micro dramas like with Newly, which that's when I first met you was talking about your micro drama with Newly from a month or two ago.

2:27But you've also done documentaries, you've done interviews, you produce some live sessions with Mariah Carey, which I just found out about today. That's very cool. So, yeah, you have a pretty diverse range of work. And Dana's house, how old is the agency? We're about five years old. So we're still kind of, you know, new to the game. But yes, we have a breadth of work that kind of really talks to, you know, we should say like the chronically online audience. So I'm excited to be here and talk about it. We're glad you're here. And I also know you were a video producer at Vogue for several years before that, too.

3:00So I feel like you have a ton of experience in this space. So we're very glad that you could join us and talk about comedy in the fashion marketing space, because it really does feel like there has been a lot of interesting campaigns involving, like I said, SNL cast members tend to feature, but also plenty of other comedians have appeared in recent brand campaigns. What's your take on humor in a brand campaign? Because I've seen some of your work and some of it is like very funny and intentionally funny. And then you've also made campaigns where that's not a goal. It's like more serious. It's an interview or, you know, so it's not always the central component.

3:37But what's your take on humor and comedians in a fashion brand campaign? Is that something worth pursuing? Humor and comedians in a fashion brand campaign, I think, could be really interesting. I think it's a unique angle to tie in talent and to also kind of create a world around what your brand is or what your brand is, you know, standing for in terms of a certain marketing campaign. I think it's really interesting. And I also think it's really clever and it's fun and it's funny. And it's a way to kind of break through the noise and kind of cross pollinate over into different audiences as well.

4:11You know, when we're talking about social-first content on spaces like Instagram and TikTok, it's, you know, the things that kind of pick up and have its own legs. People kind of take their own bits. People take audio. It all stems from the world of comedy and comedic creators in that world. So I think it's just it's an interesting way to kind of cross-pollinate from, you know, a social-first landscape into a brand campaign. Yeah. And I think like if you look at the creators, like people who have gained a following online and who aren't like actors or musicians or something, a lot of times humor is a big part of it, even if they're not necessarily comedians.

4:48Exactly. Even if it's just they're doing makeup tutorials or something, if it's also funny, like that's a great way to get people hooked, in my opinion anyway. I mean, look at the woman from the Subway Takes spot, like with Conan O 'Brien. Like that's a great example of, you know. Yeah. She just kind of took over and she was able to riff with him, but it was a comedic take and people resonate and people saw that and people understood it. It's kind of a universal language, which is cool. Yeah, yeah. Zofia, what do you think? Because when you and I were talking about this before the recording, I feel like one question that came up often is like, okay, a comedian is in it, but like, is it funny?

5:23Does that automatically make it funny? So what's your take on this, Zofia? Yeah, I went away and I did my homework. I watched the J.Crew bit and then I focused on SNL UK as well. And honestly, I think that some of these bits are really quite good. I think there's one from Levi's where they worked with Munya Chihuahua. And they did like a whole segment called Munya the Genius. And it was written by him, conceived by him and like created with his like production company. and I actually thought that was pretty good because I think a lot of it also has to do not just with just like having comedians in like the spot but also actually having them direct it and I think that's what you wrote about as well as like actually having them involved in writing it so Dana I wanted to ask you how often does that happen as well I think it's I mean it's I think it's important.

6:18How often does it happen? It really just depends on, you know, how it's a collaboration when you're bringing someone that has a craft to not only be on screen talent, but they also are a writer and they are, you know, they are in that space. It's, you know, we were working with newly, it's also presenting it to these talent and working with them on like, would you actually deliver this like this? Like, how would you say this? And getting their input in their feedback and, you know, also to trusting them to write direct and produce as well. So, So, but of course, you know, using the brand DNA and injecting it into and kind of working together to create something that speaks to the comedian's audience, which is why they're here, right?

6:59But also to the brand DNA as well, which again, you know, I talk about world building a lot, but really it kind of is that synergy between the two. And, you know, it's not just like putting someone because they're a comedian and having them do X. It's like, why are they here? can they deliver something they couldn't deliver anywhere else, you know, and having it be like a really nice synergy that really speaks to both the comedian as talent or writer and director and the brand. Yeah, I think comedians also, particularly stand-up comedians where their whole thing is kind of speaking in their own voice and probably their fans have a pretty clear idea of how they speak and what feels within their sort of character or their, and then if they're coming in and they're reading a script that you wrote for them, I feel like it's going to be really obvious if it's out of sync with what they do.

7:50The J. Crew and Please Don't Destroy campaign, I thought was interesting because it was written by the three guys. It's Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins. They wrote it together. Ben Marshall also was in a campaign with Brooklyn and recently, and I spoke to the CMO of Brooklyn. And one of the things she said was like, the nice thing was Ben is really funny. And like, he could kind of rewrite our script. And it sounded way better with like his jokes brought in, you know? And it also sounded more natural and it also felt like it's him saying it instead of like the brand speaking through his voice, even though we all know it's part of a deal.

8:23You know what I mean? Yeah, but it feels more natural. And again, it feels more like you're bringing that audience in. That's why you have this person here. So it has to feel authentic to who, you know, they're speaking to as well. So totally. Yeah. And Dana, for you, have you worked with talent in which you're kind of going back and forth with them on the script, like in a formal way? Like, I'm sure there's lots of improv and stuff that might happen on a set. But have you ever worked on that kind of setting where you're working with the talent to sort of script themselves? Yes, absolutely. And normally, you know, our process, speaking from our agency experience, is we'll work with talent.

8:56We'll bring them a concept and we'll sort of, you know, let them kind of do the beginning legs. And then we'll kind of take that and tie it together and then bring that towards the brand and get them to sign up. And then it kind of is this sort of collaborative effort. but we are definitely, you know, we're a smaller agency. So we're able to really collaborate really closely with both the comedic writer and talent and also between the brand as well. And really my, it's an editorial approach, honestly. It's like, it's not so forward facing, you know, ad, ad, ad campaign. So it is a different approach.

9:25And so you really want the voice and the tone to feel authentic. And we are really big, you know, advocates for that. And so with that, you need to have the talent's input as well. Well, another question on that, front. I remember when you were doing this micro drama with Newly and we talked about it, one of the things you said was not wanting it to feel like an ad, wanting it to feel like the content came first and the fact that it's associated with this brand is kind of an addition. And I was thinking like to go back to this J.Crew campaign, if you watch the whole thing, which I did think was pretty funny, like to the question of, is it funny?

9:58I thought it was funny. It does just feel like a please don't destroy a sketch like for SNL. And it just happens to be in a J.Crew shop. It's like, you know, and the humor is related to the fact that it's J.Crew, like, because they're talking about suiting and they're, like, doing a bad job of fitting somebody for a suit. So, like, it is connected, but it also kind of just feels like it could be a sketch and it could be set in any suit shop. And I feel like that must be a tough balance to strike of, like, how deeply do we want the brand element mixed in with the comedy? I don't know what you guys have thoughts on that.

10:30Absolutely. I think also, too, I think it's part of the storytelling telling is a very unique scenario. And I think it's relatable to them. Also, I mean, not to be like so close, but like J.Crew is literally downstairs from the SNL office. So I'm sure they have other experiences that they bring to the table through this. So I think it's a really, I think in something like that, it's a real kismet opportunity. And it's a way to kind of bring their point of view. And it's fun and it doesn't feel too, you know, forced into what they're trying to say. On that like deeper side of things as well, like how deep do you guys go into research with the brand?

11:05Like how much do they come to you with, you know, material like, okay, we want to highlight this product, this product, like whatever. And like how much of it is you kind of coming up with, you know, a story and like developing it or like reading through, I don't know, archives or past collections, like how much access do you get to the brand as well? for our agency um we like go down the rabbit hole like it doesn't stop like we fully dive all 10 toes down like my team makes fun of me all the time like I can become obsessed with almost like anything it's like we all of us kind of roll up our sleeves and really do have to find the stories like the stories are yes there's a product to launch but you can only watch a product be made so many times it's like what are what are the stories and the more human stories about the consumer and about like, how are they going to interact with this, with this thing in the real, in real life and in the real world and what this sort of, again, world building looks like is really important to us.

12:01We, you know, getting access through the brand, of course, and all the documents they give us, but then we do our own and really dive in and really understand like who this person is, how, how something is used, how it shows up, what are the authentic stories we can pull from that and really use that to kind of help craft our insights and then into, you know, working with talent, bringing them all what we've discovered and then kind of them having them take it, give back some, you know, riffs, one liners, and we'll kind of really shape and mold it from there. We're really a collaborative effort, but we definitely you have to find the stories and the stories are not in a PDF and they're not in.

12:39They're just they're not. And you really have to get deep. Yeah, they're not going to be in a series of bullet points with like a suspicious number of M dashes in it. And talking to people, too. It's like, you know, also, you know, like realizing who the target audience is and speaking to people about a certain product or a certain brand. You really have to find like how it's how it's going to make sense in the real world. Yeah. Well, when I was doing research for this and when I was writing my story, one thing I thought was interesting was some of these like campaigns that involve comedians. There are some like the J.

13:16Crew one that feel like a comedy sketch that also is an ad. And then there are ones that are like an ad that has a comedian in it. and art doesn't necessarily mean it's not funny, but I was thinking there was a brand campaign with Chloe Fineman, who was, I thought a current SNL cast member. I just learned today, actually, that she's not a cast member anymore, but she was until very recently. I think this is the first season that she left. But she did a campaign with Olaplex and it wasn't not funny. Like there were some parts that were funny, but it definitely felt more like a standard commercial.

13:48It just had comedian Chloe Fineman in it. And I don't necessarily think one is better than the other, like a regular ad does have its uses. But I'm wondering your thoughts about that, Dana, because like the Please Don't Destroy thing with J.Crew felt very much like their sketches on SNL with like, it's the three of them, it's quick cuts to like these little interactions. It felt very much like you took a Please Don't Destroy sketch and had it be sponsored by J.Crew, whereas the Olaplex thing is like just an Olaplex ad. Again, not necessarily bad. But do you find like one of those two approaches to be more valuable at this moment?

14:24I think when you can allow a little bit of creative control and freedom to the talent to really kind of flex and have their input and, you know, with writing and their style, I think there's more value there than just kind of playing role as talent. Like my rule of thumb is you can like replace the person and put someone else in and it wouldn't change the video. If the answer is yes, then you probably need to figure out other ways to kind of bring that, you know, bring more of that personality here. Like having a comedian is like, you know, they can add more to it than just playing models. So leading into that in a way that feels valuable, but also effective.

15:07And, you know, other way around, like they're working in a different format, a different medium. I'm sure they have tons of ideas for brands as well. So it's a great way to kind of unleash and unlock what they're interested in and work together versus, you know, coming in to stand in as, you know, model and pretty face.

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16:46or communication, do you guys think there is any risk of like humor kind of limiting an audience for a campaign? And is that, if so, is that necessarily a bad thing to like, this is maybe more appealing to a smaller subset of people because of the cultural references of the comedian? Like, I don't know. I don't know where I stand on that. Just wondering what you think. Maybe Zofia, do you want to tell me your thoughts? Yeah. I think we've got something really relevant from SNL UK. Dana, have you seen the Lagos? Oh my God, it's hilarious. Yes. There we go. We've got a direct example. Okay. So that was a skit.

17:22Basically it came up with Cynthia Erivo basically playing like a Nigerian micro drama. And honestly, the amount of references that I would get that probably someone in like the US who isn't as familiar with like black culture and everything, like that would be like a completely different world. I'm actually surprised that they went into it like so hard. What do you think? Was it good? I have no personal frame of reference, but I thought it was really good. I thought it was hilarious. I think, again, I think the world of comedy also allows you to like, if you know, you know certain moments as well.

17:55And you're kind of tapping into those different niche cultures and different niche like nuances. But I think also you can kind of wide it and out and kind of catch people at different touch points. So I thought it was hilarious. I mean, that was very, that was special. That was really funny. Like, really, really funny. Yeah, that was really good. Is this the Nigerian Wicked sketch? Yes. Yes. The Nigerian Wicked. Okay. So, so good. Anyone who isn't watching it, watch it. Yeah, it's really, really good. And I think that, like, I can't imagine a brand getting in on that kind of thing. I think that is, like, a unique kind of comedy sketch.

18:28Like, if I saw, like, I don't know, like, a Birkenberg in that sketch, I think I would feel like, maybe not. Yeah. I mean, it depends on like, you know, the brand safety of it all, too. It's like, how far do you want to go, you know? And again, it goes back to like how willing you are to like participate with this person. Like Reformation hired Pete Davidson to do, you know, he was also a part of an ad not too long ago. And again, it's like it's a funny bit and it kind of makes sense to like their world and like that's who their person is. And so it kind of, you know, lends itself. You have someone like Adrewski who does comedy on his own, record and things tend to break through like anything unlike anything we've ever seen.

19:05And there are other brands who've worked with him and he's hosting SNL literally this weekend or next weekend. So it just it depends on, you know, which brand and what the tone is and how far they want to go. Well, I'm glad you mentioned that. Oh, sorry, Zofia. Go ahead. I think I might have to be asking the same question. Go ahead. Well, yeah, I was going to ask, and again, I don't want to like overstay because I feel like I haven't seen a ton of issues with this, but I do feel like there's a risk sometimes. Like you're saying, a lot of comedians are known for pushing the envelope and a lot of brands are known for not wanting to do that.

19:41But a good example is Shane Gillis, an American comedian. He did a brand campaign with Under Armour somewhat recently. He's currently doing one with Kalshi. and then he hosted SNL recently and people were, I think, rightfully pretty mad about some stuff he said in his monologue at the beginning. I don't know if Under Armour and especially Kalshi are the type of brand for whom that's much of a big deal for like their target audience, but I could see a different brand if they were working with him, not enjoying him saying something misogynistic right after they just did a campaign with him. So I'm not saying that had any actual negative effect on those brands, but I could see, like, it's a good example of how it could be negative.

20:26And if I was a brand and I worked with somebody and then they like immediately after like caused a big controversy, I'd be pretty annoyed about that. So what do you think, Dana? I absolutely, I think it again comes down to the research as well in terms of who you're, who you're wanting to partner with, partner with and what that looks like. And does this person have a history of saying some outlandish things. And when they do, like, how has the audience and the community responded in the past? And if it's not great for your brand, then you probably would steer clear from someone like that. And again, things happen.

21:04Things happen with anybody, though, not just comedians. It's like creators also get caught. It's just the nature of being chronically online and just the nature of people, you know, of wanting to say things and talk about things and we don't need to go down that path. But it's just, it just, it comes down to, again, you know, with vetting and the research and is this person the right person to become a part of like our brand campaign, our brand voice, our brand world, like will these people actually represent us in this space without even being a part of this? Or is it like a plug and play, pay to play kind of deal as well?

21:40So it just takes some, you know, And also, I think there's some synergies, too, with the brand alignment before you even get to that space, get to that point. I feel like, like you said, Dana, you could be working with the most squeaky clean creator and then it comes out that they're into like dog fighting or something. It's like you could be totally blindsided. But there are also like people where it's like you work with them and then they do something controversial and it's like, yeah, that's kind of what are you what were you expecting? But also, if you know your audience really well, like I said, Kalshi, maybe they don't care.

22:11Like, Kalshi's already controversial. Like, people are already mad about the existence of Kalshi. Yeah, exactly. So, that's what's the whole thing. They maybe don't mind at all. So, it's just, I guess, like, knowing your audience really well. And I have seen brands work with a comedian or a creator, and the instant reaction is, like, why the hell did you think we, the audience, would like this partnership? Like, I feel like you could think of examples of that. I've seen that happen. like instant like misread of of what the audience would react to. Absolutely. I think people especially and I think it also it comes kind of like, you know, if you're a fan of a certain brand or a person and it kind of it's a little bit jarring, it also doesn't feel, again, like authentic.

22:53And you might believe something to be true as you being, you know, either a customer or a fan and seeing this happen. You're kind of just like, it's a little bit taking it taken aback a little bit. And also, too, I think it's you want people want to be a part of something and feel a part of something. And so when there's like a big shift like that, and it's like your values align, it can feel a little bit disjointed. Yeah. Yeah. Obviously, like you've had your agency for five years. Has that approval process from brands, like has that gone easier or harder? Because obviously there's more creators and people now than ever, and obviously more opportunities for partnerships too.

23:30But I'm wondering, like, does that mean that, you know, brands are more open to it? Or actually are they, you know, going line by line through text. More open to what exactly? As in with the approval process for things going live, does that mean the approval process has gone harder or easier? I, it's, um, I don't, that's a good question. I think it's become a little bit more intricate before you even get to the hiring process. It definitely is become more rigorous in terms of, you know, not just looking at certain, what I call like vanity metrics, like follower count and likes and comments. It really is kind of going into the nuances of their account, understanding what they've talked about, who they are, and can anyone scroll?

24:14Look what happens to Love Island. Every time there's someone on one line, there's someone that's combing through their tweets from 10 years ago to pull up something. So you have to be cautious of that as well on the brand side when you're hiring talent like this, which comes from, it's really intricate vetting that really just kind of picks apart and kind of takes that into consideration. Truly. And then one final thing I want to talk about for a second is I think we've established that comedy is very popular. A lot of these comedians have big followings. Do you think there's a straight line, though, to from finding a campaign funny to wanting to buy the product?

24:50Because I was talking with my producer, Sarah, about how if you see like a Calvin Klein ad and it's got like a hot celebrity in it, you're either like, I want to wear those clothes so I can look like them or I'm attracted to them and I want to wear those clothes so I can attract somebody. You know, it's kind of it's it's sort of primal, but like that is the clear kind of implication of those ads. But there's something like seeing a funny person like wearing a suit. I'm like, does that make me want to wear the suit or does it just like make me amused? Maybe it does both. I don't know. What do you think?

25:25I think it makes you amused. And I think you save it and you might share it with a friend. they might share it with a friend and maybe that third or fourth person might be like, oh, I need to go to a wedding or whatever and might have a reason to do it. I'm a very big advocate of getting out of the habit of like, see something, buy something now. Like we were kind of in this space of like, people need to see things several times. And also it might not be a direct buy immediately, but eventually if you're, you know, going down the path and at some point in your buying, what's it called? Funnel ecosystem journey.

25:58Yes, you're purchasing. journey, you will think of this moment and it will bring you back here. But it's more in that entertainment space where you're just, it's delightful. You watched it, you enjoyed it, you'll save it for later. And then if it comes to mind later, I'll share it with someone else. It's not, you know, a direct like swipe up and buy sort of play, in my opinion. But yeah, I think that's kind of where it is and where it's headed. I just, and consumers don't, they don't want to buy anything immediately anyway yeah but but to your point like humor is very shareable i think like when i don't use instagram that much but whenever i log in i have like 50 dms from like you know my my cousin or something who's sending me memes he saw and funny like he's not sending me like yo did you see this michael kors campaign lookbook or whatever he's sending me on a boat and you're like sure yeah yeah no he's like sending me something funny and then maybe if it's an ad, then I buy it.

26:56You know what I mean? I can see that being a big part of it is like comedy is very shareable. When you laugh, you want to laugh with somebody. You want to show them this funny thing or maybe just you recount it to them later. I saw this funny ad. I don't know. I feel like that's an underrated benefit of making something intentionally funny. I always say memes are universal language. Like you don't have to speak the same language to understand the same meme. It's like you can get it, you understand it, you see it. Same with comedy. If someone didn't understand what was going on, they could watch it and understand what was going on and still have a takeaway from it.

27:26So it's an easy play for people to kind of all interact with the same thing and kind of come from that same humanistic experience and really resonate with it. And again, just share it, save it, rinse and repeat. Honestly, that last point is something that I was talking about with someone earlier. They were like, the litmus test is, would you share it in your group chat? And if not, then basically it doesn't pass that test. Do you guys have the same thing in your agency too? Absolutely. We have a channel on our Slack that's like literally a download of everything we find just like interesting, entertaining, funny.

28:01And if it doesn't go into there, it's exactly, it's just how do you share it with your friends, your people you work with and save it for later. So absolutely. Well, I think that's all the time we have for this episode. But Dana, thank you so much for being here. Like I said, I feel like you're a perfect person to talk to about this. Thanks for answering all our questions. Thank you guys for having me. I appreciate it.

28:24And thank you for listening to the Glossy Podcast. Don't forget to give us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, wherever you listen to this, because that helps us out so much. And don't forget to subscribe to the Glossy Podcast to hear interviews with industry insiders, and we can review segments where we break down the news. The new episodes come out every Friday. Until the next time, thanks for listening.