Can you sock me ?

The Burlington socks brand, known for its argyle pattern wool socks, created a buzz with its latest very provocative TV ad campaign last October. Remember that this brand, founded in 1968, is German and not Scottish. Its flagship product is the diamond-shaped "argyle" pattern, and its recognition-marker is the Burlington punch, which appeared in 1985. This brand does not have a very modern image, which is explained by the infrequent renewal of its range. To break this aging and traditional image, the brand has launched an ad campaign with a very quirky and even salacious humour.

This ad depicts a model mother - and she is sexy - at work in a tidy American kitchen. Her son, who looks like the model goody-goody top-of-the-class-child, surprises his mother by asking her with a bewildering insouciance :

« Can you sock me please »

Meaning literally "can you help me put on my socks",this is obviously an allusion to that other word, "suck" – with which Burlington surprises us. The campaign, created by the French ad agency Pain Surprises, has largely succeeded in its goal of increasing public awareness of the brand. However, for those who know Burlington, there are apparently no new products put forward, and the range remains "timeless" for some, "old school" for others. Now, has the Burlington brand gone too far with this derision and black humour? We can easily understand that this ad did not get a laugh from everyone. You have to take it as a piece of irony!