Coach’s Spring Campaign is Turning CGI Designer

The harshness of brittle branches rattling with the current of a cold winter wind will soon be replaced by a lush canopy of green and a blanket of flowers, dotted with picnic baskets and playful youth. Yes, Spring is underway and we’re all crossing our fingers that these April showers will transform into May flowers. In addition to a change in the weather and the sun setting later, the forecast calls for new Spring fashion trends from the brands we love. 

In Spring fashion news, Coach is breaking down barriers and challenging traditional advertising with their Spring collection to create something bold and relevant with the digital world today. But how are they standing out from the competition in the designer fashion industry? To promote their Spring 2024 campaign, they’ve designed a series of advertisements showcasing famous names like Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, and Youngji Lee in their own exquisite, unique virtual realities, alongside the computer generated Imma, a virtual woman known for her work as a model and digital creator. 

This campaign was brought to my attention in the most organic of ways. As I patiently waited for my minute and thirty seconds of ads to end so I could get back to my show, a Coach ad featuring Ms. Youngji Lee came across my screen. At first, I was impressed by the great detail and quality of the graphic design and CGI that went into creating a colorful, springtime universe. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that there was something different about the young woman accompanying Youngji. “I think that’s an AI person…” I remarked, both surprised and impressed by how humanlike she appeared despite having an almost videogame character quality to her. Never had I seen an ad starring one real person and CGI generated one. 

Coach’s Spring 2024 campaign is entitled “Find Your Courage”, and it tells a story with each ad serving as a different chapter. The first ad I encountered with Youngji and Imma is, in fact, chapter three in the series.

Chapter 1, entitled, “The Courage to Change the Game”, stars Lil Nas X and Imma taking on a life-sized chess board and together breaking the rules to invent something new.

Next in Chapter 2, “The Courage to Take Risks”, Wu JinYan guides Imma through an obstacle course in the clouds, bravely moving forward into the unknown.

The third episode of the series is entitled “The Courage to Break the Mold” and features Youngji Lee breaking out of a massive mold of herself to pose, vogue, and dance to make Imma laugh and show her it’s okay to be different.

A new episode of the series was just released, making Chapter 4, “The Courage to Keep Evolving”, the latest addition to the story. In this chapter, Camila Mendes admires different holographic versions of herself, inspiring Imma to embrace every stage as she continues to grow and change. 

Although all the chapters come to life in entirely different locations, carefully designed to incorporate the colors and styles of the Spring collection, there are common themes that run throughout the “Find Your Courage” series. For example, every episode or chapter starts the same, Imma is afraid that she won’t have the courage she needs to continue, followed by her getting sucked into a portal that takes her through a magical tunnel where all kinds of designs and psychedelic images flash before her only to reveal the virtual universe belonging to each celebrity brand ambassador. Most importantly, the main theme of the series is courage–having the courage to take risks, be different and make your own rules, just like Coach aims to do with their latest collection. 

Through this campaign, Coach proudly asserts its individuality as a brand that’s bursting with color, creativity, and confidence this Spring. What could be a more perfect way of conveying fierce innovation than by incorporating AI and virtual reality seamlessly into the production? It doesn’t pull focus or take away from the message the ad is meant to portray, but instead elevates the story by connecting the courage to push the boundaries of fashion with new technology pushing the boundaries of what technology is capable of. From the incredible, personalized universes every character occupies, to the addition of Imma into the storyline, it’s a perfect demonstration of creativity and courage in both the fashion world and the tech world. Together they created a one-of-a-kind project that not only embodies the collection, but the Coach brand as a whole. 

I hope this will challenge other brands, in fashion or other industries, to get creative about their advertising. Tools such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and CGI can revolutionize the way people interact with a brand. In fact, Coach is working to collaborate with gaming platforms to make it so that users can dress their avatars in the Coach 2024 Spring Collection. How insane is that? Your video game character can sport designer fashion straight from the runway! 

I’m left to wonder if I’ll be seeing Imma in any more advertisements this season. Maybe Imma and her world will continue to grow as she finds a boyfriend, some girlfriends, or maybe even a family. As the seasons change, Imma may take a trip to the beach this Summer, dress up for Halloween in the Fall, or even celebrate Christmas come December! The possibilities are endless, and I’d like to personally applaud Coach for finding the courage to turn CGI designer.