Brief
Global campaign that manifests Klarna as a smoooth shopping platform.
Background, idea & execution
Sweat pants, dirty t-shirts and worn-down slippers. Needless to say, the pandemic has had a terrible impact on the way we dress.
A$AP Rocky x Klarna’s “Get Smoooth Again” is a global, integrated campaign, aimed to inspire consumers to rediscover their sense of style.
After spending almost two years in fashion hibernation and lockdown looks, the world is finally emerging from the pandemic. People are adjusting to switching their sweatpants for real pants – famed rapper and fashion icon A$AP Rocky included. So, who better to encourage people to drop their lockdown looks than A$AP Rocky, a huge global trendsetter and fashion tastemaker.
The hero film, that launched the global campaign, follows Rocky as he emerges from quarantine when New York announces its reopening. While everyone else is dressed to impress, the rapper looks misplaced in his lockdown look. He goes on to have a shopping experience with Klarna that switches up his look immediately. The spot ends with a cameo from another style icon, legendary U.K. rapper Skepta, who enters the bodega in his lockdown look.
Visually, the film is a mashup of Klarna’s and A$AP Rocky’s worlds and includes a bunch of visual cues and easter eggs that reference both. The film is placed in A$AP Rocky’s hometown of Harlem, New York, while being inspired by pop culture he grew up with in the 90s. In addition, A$AP Rocky designed some of the products featured in the film through his creative agency AWGE, such as the chips bag; a symbol of lockdown that holds a key part in the film’s story. The film also teases the long-awaited release of new music from A$AP Rocky, with a snippet of an unreleased song being played on the bodega radio.
The film includes hooks to other parts of the “Get Smoooth Again” campaign, too. The transformation of A$AP Rocky going from lockdown to smoooth was used as the foundation for the global influencer activation of famous TikTok and Instagram profiles.
We then followed up with a bunch of additional activities aimed at inspiring people to leave their lockdown looks behind. We raffled out vintage collections curated by A$AP Rocky, including the unique bathrobe he wore in the film. We let the hyped, Swedish designer duo Rave Review share their best upcycling tips, while fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen talked about how clothes can positively impact our well-being. All this, just to help people get back in style.