I might as well have posted this under "the Rock n roll is dead" or the "are the boys fools to cry or still hot suff" threads, but I really think it deserves a thread on its own.

Coming early to the office this morning and picking up the newspapers on the steps, I notice that all over the front page on one of our daily business papers (Finansavisen) there is what seems to be a quite recent picture of a Norwegian business mogul standing between Keith and Mick with his hands around their shoulders. I have no possibility to scan or translate the full story now, but here are a few high-lights:

Dressmann, which is a Norwegian owned chain of stores selling cheap clothes for men has the ambition to become the world's largest seller of clothes within its segment - with the help of the Rolling Stones! The company has had various meetings with Mich around the world during the last one and a half year and it has struck a multi million dollar deal with the band which gives them the right to six new songs from the band (??!!) , the right to use the band in advertising campaigns and an exclusive right to distribute their next compilation cd (??!!) through its stores in Norway.

The deal is reported to cost the company between 2 and 20 mio usd. Yeah, now it's a wide range and the reason the price is not higher is that it's a collaboration that goes both ways, i.e. the Stones gets a distrubution channel for their music and according to the article, there will also be a Rolling Stones line of clothes.

There is also some information in the article that is obviously very wrong. For instance it says that the band just completed a one week "re-launch tour" (hehe - sorry, but maybe that was the 2011 tour). It also says that Dressmann sent 600 of its employees to Argentina for a kick off and while the article speculates what that might have cost in plane tickets and accomodation, the journalist also wonders what they did have to pay the Stones for giving the private gig (or could it really be...?)

Despite of the latter, this is a newspaper with a serious reputation (when it comes to businees - music maybe not...) and the article is clearly not all rubbish. What frightens me a little is that inside the paper, the owner of the company is posing under a Dressmann logo together with Mick, Keith and Charlie. Mick and Keith's clothes are rather plain looking (Charlie of course, looking better in a suit, hehe). Another person has been cropped out of the picture, only hand visible on Charlie's shoulder - maybe Ron? Looks a little like when a football club is presenting a new star player and pulls the club's shirt over his head for posing.

These guys may have sold their soul to the devil once, but to me, this looks like a deal far worse! I found it rather sad to see Mick bringing his hairdresser along to New York, posing for pictures in NY Times Magazine and with price tags on his clothes. I wrote it off as a sign that all the fuzz following Keith's book launch might had got him temporarily off balance. Little did I know what was to come. And this has been prepared for 1,5 years...

In the article there is a well known (in Norway) advertising person being asked about the deal. He finds it exciting and compares it to H&M using famous designers and Madonna in their marketing. He goes on saying that Dressmann has never been able to promote an image of being cool same time as being, well "affordable", and that using the Stones to market their clothes may prove to be a successful move but might as well make us laugh our asses off.

The owner of the company, Petter Varner says they chose the Rolling Stones because their fans are the same target group. Well - Petter, keep me out of it!
Although I realise that I for sure fall within the definition of being middle aged, I would never associate with the clothes you sell. What I expect now is that next time I put on my Stones T-Shirt, people will say - Hey, nice T-Shirt, you bought it at Dressmann?

Only good thing that might come from this, is that instead of my favourite tv-program being interrupted by these ads with a group of grey haired, good looking, middle age men in cheap clothes, all smiling and hanging around at beaches or golf courses looking like they have nothing serious to do - my favourite gang of rock musicians may now be the stars of these commercials. Come to think of it, I am not sure I am ready for that.

To all you iorr'ians comfortably leaning back thinking this is only a marketing deal gone wrong in a small Scandinavian country - please have in mind that the ambition of these sellers of fabrics is world leadership...

Wow! Dressmann and the Stones. Interesting team...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-01-13 13:08 by DandelionPowderman.

It appears that Dressmann has a "button guarantee". If you loose a button they'll compensate you with a new piece of clothes. Now, at least there's an idea for free to those that will be making the commercials...

What about: An old rock star coming into a store that sells clothes and tells the teenage girls behind the counter that; "I think I busted a button on my trousers. You don't want my trousers to fall off now, do you? The girl licks her lips and replies: "Oh yes mister, I would love to see that. Now, off with your pants and I'll give you a new pair." Think that would work for their target group?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-01-13 14:48 by tomzen.

For those who read norwegian:

[www.dn.no]

[www.budstikka.no]

Ray
15 and counting. No stopping. Stockholm next.

I thought the Stones first moved into clothing when they sold t-shirts on their 73 European tour. They probably also sold them in 72.

Dressman is a store where I happily buy "casual" clothes (but only when the price tags are -50 %) for my husband (a middle-aged man who doesn't care about clothes at all).

Never ever in my life could I have associated Dressman with the Stones... not even in their mature/advanced years. If there is one thing Dressman is not it is hip/cool/rock'n'roll... but, then again, neither are the Stones.

This sounds bad..
I mean Dressman is a terribel brand.
Its stands for cheap bad clothing
Boring TV-spots
Very very far from rock´n roll(yes i think Stones are a rockband)

I LOVE IT!
They could use Mixed Emotions for the first commercial...a rerecording of it.

"Button your lip baby, button my coat, if I lose a button...get a new coat!"

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tomzen
What about: An old rock star coming into a store that sells clothes and tells the teenage girls behind the counter that; "I think I busted a button on my trousers. You don't want my trousers to fall off now, do you? The girl licks her lips and replies: "Oh yes mister, I would love to see that. Now, off with your pants and I'll give you a new pair"

Commercial of the year LOL

-------------------
Keep On Rolling

They did a lot of clothing stuff on the Steel Wheels tour - J. C. Penneys, I think.

Another sign of tour coming up where Dressmann will be promoted.

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Elmo Lewis
They did a lot of clothing stuff on the Steel Wheels tour - J. C. Penneys, I think.

What kind of brand is J. C. Penney's? A cheap one? Because Dressman definitely is that.

I just cannot associate Charlie & Mick & Keith with those Dressman clothes, although I know it's only money that matters to them...

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Daffodil

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Elmo Lewis
They did a lot of clothing stuff on the Steel Wheels tour - J. C. Penneys, I think.

What kind of brand is J. C. Penney's? A cheap one? Because Dressman definitely is that.

I just cannot associate Charlie & Mick & Keith with those Dressman clothes, although I know it's only money that matters to them...

But was it during Voodoo Lounge Tour when Volkswagen sponsored the European leg of the tour Mick said when asked that he doesn't drive VW, he drives Mercedes... And when Pepsi sponsored (don't remember when) Charlie said he never drinks Pepsi, tastes horrible... (don't know if the band is a heavy user of Jovan products or if Budweiser is their choice of beer either...) The Stones, those 'men of wealth and taste', are not perhaps the best 'model boys' for sponsors...

- Doxa

Dressmann was cheap. The last 10 years, they have built its brand on more fashionable clothes than they had in the 80s and 90s.

and here there is something in English:

The Swapper

"Last night the event was completed with a private concert with The Rolling Stones." ...

[thewapper.wordpress.com]


Now it’s time for the “big bang.”





I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

This interests me in as much as it may mean 6 new songs will be released this year. I'm guessing "Scarlet" is among them. Really 7 new songs if the story about "Watching the River Flow" being an actual Stones track pans out. However, I find it highly unlikely that The Rolling Stones performed a private concert in late 2010 or early 2011.

Mind you I never expected Ronnie to play the 100 Club and join Mick Taylor in backing Stephen Dale Petit either, but this seems even less likely.

I think they will tour Sept but am keeping tight lipped til July or Aug as they always do. Nothing gets out.

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tomzen
and here there is something in English:

The Swapper

"Last night the event was completed with a private concert with The Rolling Stones." ...

Utter rubbish. The concert was obviously so private the Stones didnt even know about it. Ronnie Wood doesnt seem to know about it anyway, as he claims they havent all been together for a couple of years

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Gazza

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tomzen
and here there is something in English:

The Swapper

"Last night the event was completed with a private concert with The Rolling Stones." ...

Utter rubbish. The concert was obviously so private the Stones didnt even know about it. Ronnie Wood doesnt seem to know about it anyway, as he claims they havent all been together for a couple of years

Maybe Ronnie should be worried, or not to stay too far from his fax machine...

Anyway, difficult to say what to think of the whole 'news'. I don't have any knowledge of the reliabilty of the source(s) but if we forget the 'private gig' part, there seems to be something going on. In fact, it sounds very 'Stonesy' to find new ways of making business deals. And seemingly nothing is sacred these days when there is enough money involved. Taking the fact that the record industry is going down hill, it is inersting that the idea is said to be derived from their record company, Universal. Universal tends to be quite active in trying to get some profits with their big deal with the band.

But still it sounds and there are some significant holes in the whole picture...

But if the news of the new songs/compilation album hold true, can we say this much: the product with which the Stones are going to promote their upcoming tour is a compilation album that partly consists of six new cuts, which probably are Exile-like archive gems? Is this the new idea to make a fresh version of FORTY LICKS?

- Doxa

And here are some more in English with pictures including what seems to be a sneak view of some of the approved by Jagger 70'ies inspired collection:

Norwegian fashion

Keith looks weird.

Here's a link to an interview with the creative director of Dressman talking about the collaberation with some comments/anecdotes from Mick and Charlie (unfortuantley it's in Swedish but someone might have the interest/time to translate?)

[www.kingmagazine.se]

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stones78


Keith looks weird.

It was right after a hair implant ))

That picture is weird: Mick's arm seems to be plugged into that dude's torso. WTF!!
Rock and Roll,
Mops

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stones78


Keith looks weird.

Not half as much as Ronnie does.....

I heard about this, is that pic real?

They look pretty well there, but I mean..THAT's @#$%& sellout bullshit man

The article in English makes it sound like they are just licensing old hits for commercials. There's nothing about releasing six new songs here. Not sure who Rolling Stones manager Tom Bennett is. I'm guessing it's a Universal Music executive.