Born a Rebel

Scalpers invites consumers to think about whether they want to celebrate a banal and stereotypical Christmas or celebrate a way of being and living that is authentic, rebellious, free... The campaign seeks to bring a little bit of inspiration and authenticity in this post-pandemic era when we are all recalibrating our values.

David Caballero

Chief Creative Officer VML Spain

Scalpers was created in 2007 by four friends with the intention of offering a new perspective on classic men’s fashion. With its garments’ customary skull and crossbones, they sought to challenge the conventions of the sector and “unshackle men from the strict canons of men’s fashion”. During its 14-year lifetime, Scalpers has barely invested in advertising. The brand had a differentiated brand value capable of setting it apart in the sector, but it hadn't yet been exploited. That meant that we still had the chance to tell people what “that clothing brand with the skull and crossbones” was all about. And we had to do it at Christmas, a crucial time for sales, but one saturated with advertising messages.

Scalpers has been rebellious right from its birth as a brand – a brand that has remained independent, that challenges some of the most ingrained conventions of the sector, and, above all, that distinguishes its garments with a symbol that is totally outlandish for its category: the skull and crossbones. This powerful icon spurred us to eschew the rules of fashion communications and the Christmas context – with all their superficiality – and talk about authenticity instead.

If an authentic brand like Scalpers was asking us for a Christmas campaign, should we not stop to ponder the authenticity of this celebration? So, we took the bold decision to champion the true meaning of Christmas, to return to its roots, in what many would consider a countercultural and rebellious act. And, who better to do this with than the greatest rebel in the forgotten history and origins of these festivities: Jesus of Nazareth. He came into this world as a rebel and carried on fighting for his ideals throughout his life, so we built the concept of the campaign around him: “A Rebel is Born”. In it, Jesus sets to reflect on Christmas and what the event has become, appealing to the public to ask themselves what it is that they are celebrating and what they want to celebrate.

The campaign managed to endow the brand with personality and identity, the client’s objective when it came to the agency. With an unconventional yet respectful approach, we managed to shake up the sector by covering sensitive issues without generating needless controversy. The campaign immediately went viral on social media, achieving 4,092,548 impressions on YouTube, 2,442,194 on Instagram and 2,442,194 on TikTok. Furthermore, over 6,000 people commented on the Twitter campaign. This positive feedback also translated into sales, exceeding the brand’s expectations for the Christmas of 2021.