Signifier: Wrangler and Drew Brees
Signified: It shows you that Wrangler is a top jeans brand and that anyone can enjoy their trade mark comfort guaranteed. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Quarterback or an average Joe you’ll enjoy wearing it.
Image: In the print ads it centers on Brees in all different poses showing how comfortable no matter where you are or how you’re sitting/standing. “The most comfortable pair of jeans you’ll ever wear guaranteed” Brees tell you in the commercial. It shows him going around his usual day of tasks and explains the improvements to why they are better and more comfortable.
Denotation: This is an ad for Jeans for one of the main companies out there like Levis, plus all the clothing companies that make all kinds of clothes like Calvin Klein or Old Navy.
Connotation: Wrangler is their own successful company that also has brands under it like Lee, Janspor, and Northface, that makes them lots of money. This is their new ad campaign about having the most comfortable jeans out there, unlike some companies who make jeans and don’t care if they are comfortable and still charge a lot. Brees endorses the 5star by Wrangler, their premium denim.
Icon: Wrangler’s jeans have that red tag with their name and people know when it’s their jeans. It is not the first time they used a QB; they used former QB Brett Favre and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. At the same time even though he wears a helmet people know what one of the best and all time QBs look like. Brees’ trademark is being a short QB and his famous scar on his face you can see and you see his jersey number on the shirt he’s wearing.
Diachronic Analysis: Wrangler Jeans were first made by Blue Bell, who acquired the brand when they took over Casey Jones in the mid-1940s, that company then hired a Polish tailor to make it fit for rodeo. The Wrangler Jeans featured several innovations aimed particularly at cowboys: Felled outseams and inseams, rear pockets positioned for comfort in the saddle, ‘no scratch’ rivet pocket reinforcement, a zipper fly, and use of a strong tack in the crotch instead of a metal rivet. In the 70s, Wrangler Jeans become an icon of youth culture, synonymous with teenagers the world over, and The Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association of American (PRCA) officially endorses Wrangler Jeans. In the 90s, one of every five pairs of jeans sold in America is a Wrangler. In the 2000s, a new Wrangler European print campaign is launched “Wanted,” representing a powerful modern expression of Wrangler’s roots. Wrangler also celebrates 100 years of manufacturing quality denim by producing Blue Bell by Wrangler, a limited edition collection that reproduces the first Wrangler Jeans right down to the last detail, and is only available at selected premium stores. Wrangler also reworks the mainstream collection, producing new fits using icons inspired by the very first jeans designed by Rodeo Ben. The Wrangler brand is now recognized in 22 European countries. Wrangler also has a line of music accessories targeted toward country music fans. In 2009, Wrangler was behind only Levis for most sales for men jeans, but for women they were 10th.
Ideology: The idea to make something guaranteed comfortable and flexible is so everyone can have a pair of jeans that they are comfortable in, since most Americans wear jeans. They also want to show you can do anything in them and they will still be comfortable. As you’ve seen in their past they are always trying to make improvements to make great jeans. They also were smart to co-brand with a popular QB in Brees, who already has 9 endorsements: Nike, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Advocare, Microsoft, Chase, Cam-Am-spyder, Vicks Vapor Rub, Tide, and Bridgestone.
Codes: As we’ve seen before companies are teaming up with athletes more than actor/musician, since people in this country love their sports so much they want to have a connection to their teams or favorite athletes. So the belief is you’ll buy what they endorse to be closer to them or be like them. So having two QBs and a NASCAR driver does really help get the countryside and football fans in this country such as the south to like your product and trust it.
Jingoism: Wrangler Jeans does market to all ages and genders but mostly towards the south and people from the countryside. If you look at the sales it looks like they aren’t doing a good job trying to get women to wear them, with mostly men wearing them. So having the athletes endorsing it brings in more customers based on the brand recognition of the athlete