Diesel Pokes Fun at Social Influencers and Urges You to 'Be a Follower'

Diesel and Publicis Italy introduce their new spring campaign, Be a Follower.

Everybody wants to be an influencer today. Becoming known on social media can lead to fast fame and vast fortune. But will it last? And, more importantly, are we sure that influencers really believe in what they’re promoting? 

With this in mind, Diesel took aim at the clichés of social media by emphasising where the real power exists: in the hands and the feeds of the followers. 

In keeping with its practice of breaking the rules, Diesel brings to life a multi-subject campaign with real influencers who are familiar enough with the brand (and the concept) to be self-ironic about the clichés and pitfalls of living an 'Instagrammable' life. With, of course, denim as the central icon. 

Jennifer Grace @thenativefox, Kristen Crawley @kristennoelcrawley, the twins @amixxamiaya and @ayaxxamiaya, Elias Riadi @eliasriadi and Bloody Osiris @bloodyosiris recognise the exaggerations of their digital personas - and each of them is OK with a little self-deprecation, poking fun at their 'social' lives. Multiple vignettes show these Insta-famous people in jarring or awkward situations - with each clip then cutting to a non-influencer, worry-free, living effortlessly and easily in their Diesel denims. Because, ultimately, no matter how famous you are on social media, it’s your followers who matter the most. 

To further illustrate why it is better to Be a Follower, dozens of additional pieces of video content, directed by Ali Ali, were created. A selection of key visuals by Toiletpaper’s Pierpaolo Ferrari and Maurizio Cattelan – which also include Diesel’s watches and eyewear categories – complete the message. The campaign’s overall creative concept and execution was handled by Publicis Italy.