Give Me Your Honest Opinion...

So LoveSac is, of course, always striving to do things a little differently.  You see, it is strange that we're in tiny mall stores selling furniture.  It is even stranger that we sell 8 foot Sacs of foam, and other surprisingly versatile furniture, as well as T-shirts, stickers, etc.  So in the spirit of NOT being just another lame furniture store, as well as keeping it current with each passing season, we do things like this...

OUR EASTER WINDOW POSTER.  You may have also seen it on our homepage at lovesac.com.  So here's just an honest, open-ended question: WHAT DO YOU THINK???  Do you like it?  Do you hate it?  Do you think it is effective?  Do you think it is repulsive?  Repulsive in a good way?  Repulsive in a bad way?  More importantly, WHY?    Please comment!  I will send my favorite, well-thought-out comment (positive OR negative, doesn't matter) a newly designed LoveSac T Shirt.

I don't care if you are a LoveSac employee or a customer, or just a random web-surfer.  I want to know what you think about this piece of art...or any of our (often bizarre) promotions & artwork.  So comment here and tell us what you think.

ALL comments welcome.

--Shawny D.

Comments

[steve lewis]

Well what to say about it… I think that yes people would look and some might chuckle, some might go into shock, some mothers might come into the stores to complain that their kids are scared from it, and yet some might just barf a little in the back of their thoughts. It does have some class to it with the barber and yes some of the shock could be how such a dirty guy has such pristine phur? Maybe college frat houses might flock to the ad but I am not sure who else. If I worked for Love Sac and did marketing for them I might have turned in two things to the boss one would be Sac covers that looked like when they were placed around a Sac made it look like a big dyed Easter Egg, and two for the bunny Phur I would have just taken a picture of a huge round white bunny in photo shop and made it look like a person or two were laying on its big fat fluffy phur with a caption that said “ Bunny Phur Sacs, it’s like laying on the real thing, but without the mess.” Or maybe “Bunny Phur Sacs, feels like a bunny, but not made from bunnies.” Umm as long as they do feel like a bunny and are not really made from bunnies, I would order a Love Sac ball with the bunny phur if the Love Sac balls ever get back in stock. At least with either an Easter egg sac cover or a big fat bunny with people laying on it I think both are safe with every one sure more women and kids would like that ideas and less guy would like that idea but it’s safe and guys are always getting suckered in to buying things for their girl.

[Tyler Given]

I think it is very creative, and neat. But some people may think it is REALLY bunny fur because it says so. But I do like it and its not like the other furniture companies. LoveSac is different and different is good! :]

[Miaa Rigby]

Personally, I like it. We sell alternative furniture. It's fun with sort of a shock-value. So is the poster, how many other stores have an easter bunny in their window? How many other stores have a bunny who looks like that?

However, I can see where some of the negative feedback comes from. I had a little girl walk by the store today and start crying because she thought it was scary. The mother said something like "as if kids arnt scared enough of the easter bunny." Issues much?

I think that was a little over the top, and that lady needed to chill.

We take the ordinary couch and transform it into something new, crazy, and even to some people....wierd. So we put the same twist on the ever-so-familiar Easter Bunny.

We arn't the average everyday furniture store. We stick out from the rest. people remember us because our product is different, catchy, and easy to remember. So should our advertisements.

Miaa -- LS South Hills Village

[herb]

the teeth are too much for me. but what do i know. if it works why fix it?
cheers,
herb

[Richard]

Definitely a 9.5 on the weird scale. Which is good for making people curious just as the name alone has done in the past. My scenario... I would probably make a really obese guy/girl with bad hygiene dress up in a bunny suit and a guy with a fishing pole and line hang a drumstick in front of them as to divert attention while they take snippets of luscious bunny fur from their back. Which is large enough to generate enough fur to cover something like a 6ft lovesac. That would strike a few more nerves. And more closely correlate the ironic feasability of the proposed method on the poster. All in all this poster accomplishes what you want. (curiosity and originality)

[pam]

I don't like it.Although the ugly guy is memorable, shocking and hard to forget, he's just too damn ugly. Bad teeth don't sell....put some "perfect" white rabbit teeth on him and that might make the difference. That would still make people look at least twice -- providing an even more memorable and shocking poster.

[Rick Astley]

Honestly, I think its a great poster. One of the best we have had since I have been working here. Of course young people think its awesome or funny. I do have a lot of older people stop outside and stare at the poster for a while, then they come in I use it as a hook to explain our products to them. It is exactly how Lovesac rolls if you ask me. I have yet to have anybody offended by it and the other hand I have people leaving the phone numbers with the store asking if they could have it. Great marketing for todays day and age.

Larri T.

[Jeremy]

So far it's been pretty damn effective. The picture is like a slap in the face - for your eyes.

I think the contrast between the bright, friendly colors of the background and the dark nastiness of the bunny is what grabs people's initial attention. Then the idea of shaving the Easter Bunny is pretty messed up. But it goes a step further and defiles the idea of the Bunny all around. It's agreeable shock value. It's all of the surprise without being offensive.

If nothing else it grabs people's attention and coaxes their curiosity. Getting people in the door is half the battle at LoveSac, because we've got such a cool product. I think it helps introduce people to something they might otherwise be missing out on.

In short - I love it!

[Alyx]

When this poster first came out of the box here at the Creek, I couldn't help but be a bit taken back. I'm big on oral hygiene so the teeth bugged me a bit, but overall, I don't feel like this poster keeps customers from coming in. Sure, it's a little off-kilter, but LoveSac is all about pulling off taboo things in a really cool way.

Personally, I can't tell you what the last poster we had up looks like, but this one sticks, and I can't imagine that I'll ever forget it. A lot of people in our mall know what LoveSac is about. For these people, the traditional LoveSac posters that have a package on them or just a sac with a limited edition cover all look the same. It's typically something you can walk in and see on the other side of the door. The same can't be said for a trashy Easter bunny getting a classy hair cut.

I understand that this might limit our target audience, but, like I said, most of the people in Des Moines and many people from out of town already know about LoveSacs, and they're going to come in the store despite there being a Playboy Bunny, an Easter bunny, or a live bunny in the window. Not to mention the hours upon hours we spend each week making sure the inside of the store is in tip-top shape. Our visual merchandising brings people in more than anything in the window ever could. If the store looked like crap, and we had an awesome poster in the window, no one would come in...rightfully so.

The posters we use normally are meant to catch the eye of passers-by..maybe people that wouldn't think about coming in otherwise. This poster isn't much different. It just goes about getting attention in a different way. People stop to see the crazy man in a rabbit suit, then look through the windows to see promising furniture options and confident, cool PDSE's on the other side.

I guess all-in-all, I most agree with Candy in that it's "Ugly Genius," and I love it. :)

[C.]

There's such thing as shock factor and such things as customer base. And the customers you're looking for, aren't turned on by this type of shock factor. This is more like a band poster than furniture store ad. The colors the type and the image are all very strong pieces, but they don't convey LoveSac in anyway. Funny and different, yes. Grungy, old and a little foul? Not at all.

Unfortunately, neither would a PlayBoy Bunny. Cute as they are, the sex appeal can turn a lot of people off. They don't want their children exposed to it, nor do they want their friends to think they went to a porn store to buy their furniture. (We're talking upscale people that cringe at an exposed declote).

Granted, some customers will get a kick out of it. Some customers like sex and gore and rock and roll. But then you're zoning in on something particular. You're pinpointing a smaller customer base when you could actually increase it with something that everyone understands.

What is LoveSac?
Hip? Versatile? Comfortable? Modern? Durable? Geometric? New? Young? Upscale? Cool?

What I've learned from design is that the classics are always the coolest. The hippest always know and are attracted to a good version of a classic. You want people to believe that your product is here to last. This isn't a trend. This is the new wave of your most favorite purchase down the line. The classic car in the garage -- Translate to that classic LoveSac, passed down years later. A business wants to grow, not jump on the bandwagon.

[Iain Holmes]

Shawn - I love the idea of using 'proper art' that has no relevance to your product to brand a company. I think the most successful use of this was united colors of benetton - in their 80s campaign using the artist Oliviero Toscani. Unfortunately giving an artist carte blanche, can backfire - he got too political and people too a stance. But for a long time people loved his art, their advertisement and sales went SKY high!

What I personally believes lack in your advertisement is selection of the correct artist - this piece cries Norman Rockwell (maybe gone slightly a miss) - although high respected in the art community he is someone my parents would like, and not really the style I would go for - for branding your product.

So to sum it up - I love the concept of using adverts where people are not just sitting your furniture - I think it will work for your company (using art is alternative, not lame) - but you need to find a more 'vivid' artist to base it on.

Now unfortunately I am drawing a blank on to recommendations on whose work is vivid enough - I would certainly lean towards photography, and the only photographer I can think of who is how I imagine it working got in a ton of hot water last year in Australia over a couple pieces he has.

If I think of anyone else, I will let you know!

[James Crofton]

Just another thought. If you want really shock value replace Old dude with real Bunny, and scissors with a electric razor.

I would add a footnote. No Bunnies were harmed in the creation of this poster. The Moms will love that.

[James Crofton]

Well to be honest, I do not think this poster is going to be effective in boosting sales. In terms of shock value, It certainly is effective. My view of Love sac is really comfy cool different furniture. Perhaps the playboy bunny would be better. Just not to revealing to avoid turning away families. The cigar and bad teeth to me have a darker unclean connotation. I would be attracted to the humour and punch line while strolling through the mall if you just change the Bunny. (Sorry old yellow teeth dude, Hope its not a relative of King sac)....!

my sense is that this image is shocking but unappealing. its funny yes. But ultimately I am not sure many people will identify with the message. The audience with the buying power is probably older then he target audience that will appreciate the poster.

[Mark Westover]

for me it's not that it mioght be scarey... it's that I wouldn't want to sit on anything associated with that character
Mark Westover

[Mark Westover]

Mark Westover:
Shawn...I definitely felt something when I saw the poster. The barber cutting the Easterbunny's phur is catchy. That the bunny is so hard definitely is an image that creates emotion. The feeling I'm left with is very mixed with wanting to like it & my skin crawling at the thought of sitting on that hair. It's worse than being alergic to cats & sitting on a sofa with cathair all over it & a mangy cat running across the back & touching your head as it passes. I'll definitely remember it but how will I react the next time I see your sac?
btw...I love your product!
Mark

[Mandy]

Hi, I am a LoveSac employee. This advertisement definitely targets a disturbed, angsty, and recently vampire-obsessed market. I don't know if these are the people you are trying to attract, but it sure is different! I think it might deter parents from buying their young children a comfy sac for Easter. It will instead draw the punk-rock teens from Hot Topic and "cool, rockstar 20-year-olds" - but most likely these people don't have money.

[gosparky]

Might be showing my male chauvinist side, but I can think of a way more appealing figure than a crotchety old dude, smoking a cigar and getting a hair cut in a bunny suit. Think black and white, skimpy, bunny ears, reclined in the latest “bunny phur” clad Lovesac product. And you can be tasteful and add some nostalgic class if you work at it. The “Bunnies” I’m talking about have been around for years. I mean come on, the name of the company is LoveSac. Just think you can be tasteful, have some clean fun with your brand and still get everyone’s attention if you do it right. Just remember one thing: Don’t hassle the Hoff, or is the “Heff”.... Cheers.

[Brittney]

Okay, I am a lovesac employee and of course I love the product. However, when I first saw it, I was caught off guard and accepted it, although it was rather weird. Then I began wondering who the target audience was It seems a bit confusing because on the artwork, we have a man-bunny with rotten teeth and he's smoking a cigar. I don't think this is bad advertisement but for this store and what holiday it is representing, it might not be the best thing. Easter, of course, is a childs holiday. They love the easter bunny and I think the last thing they think to see is a bunny smoking. Sure, the bunny is eye catching, but perhaps it is in the wrong way. I was looking at the front window setup and I couldn't help but think "There is a poster with a dirty bunny-man smoking a cigar with bad teeth, and underneath it is a hot pink sac". It just didn't seem to fit to me. I feel that you can either go one way or the other. The pink sac with an ad like that just doesn't ad up. No pun intended. ;)

[Dennis]

"great marketing is always pissing someone off."

This is bad, it's disturbing. So much so that it burns a mental picture in your mind, maybe leads to a new nightmare character, but it's memorable. Who remembers the Budweiser frogs? Everyone does! They weren't cute, they lived in a nasty swamp with a rodent, and made you laugh. More importantly, they left an memorable impression. That's effective marketing, and so is the "bad easter bunny."

The poster in our mall has likely scared away a few people. I hear remarks like "disgusting" on occasion, usually by people walking into the store, but there are the passer-bys that also comment negatively. But they commented, they saw out store, our humor, our product, and have a mental image to associate us with. They aren't going to look at an easter bunny without thinking about Love Sac.

A cigar smoking easter bunny with gingivitis may not describe the product in any way we would want to describe it, but who said that's the goal? Does a frog or swamp have anything to do with beer? It's all about the association with a memorable character, and this is memorable.

[Kevin King]

I think it's a good balance of Crass vs Class. You've got the collared barber and the belligerent client and it just seems to click. It's the type of poster that makes people take notice. It doesn't fade into the background like so much other marketing, and I love that LoveSac continues to make people pay attention.

[Jared Turner]

Hey Shawn,
So what message are you trying to send? Who is your target market and will this appeal to them? You can run some easy concept tests with minimal cost to vet out a number of concept ideas and make some data driven decisions instead of shooting from the hip.
I mean its funny looking and it certainly catches your eye but seriously, shouldn't you be focusing more on your marketing strategy and message and then let the advertising guys figure out the creative?

[Brian Altomare]

Well, I have to say I love the whole thing, but I think the guy with the cigar makes me cringe and I don't want to buy furniture(but yes I give it shock value thumbs up)--Also smoking might be a turn off---

But I think if you keep it all the same and tone down the guy with cigar and turn it into something more in line with the guy cutting the phur---maybe make him eating chocolate eggs or real colored eggs(which could be more funny and relevant, and still perverse)----and less scary(maybe I am just a wuss)--you have a winner Shawnie--just my thoughts

[Ol'Dirty]

The cartoonish style is unique and different, some would say remark-able... but I showed my wife the poster and her comment was, "creepy!"

Ol'Dirty

[College Lass]

Gotta be honest - I'm pretty freaked out by this poster. And I'm not sure if it's in a good way or bad way. Kinda reminds me of a scary movie.

[CandY]

Sooo.. No lie when I first saw this I gasped.. I was repulsed..In A good way!! I wanted to know more..why is this our poster?..I get it it makes people stop and stare ALL the time..then they walk in and we show them the cool stuff you guys came up with! It is good stuff..We even have had the malls easter bunny come in and see what that was all about! So in my opinion it is what I call Ugly Genius!