Client

Dolce & Gabbana, the famed Italian fashion brand founded in the 1980s by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Its fashions reflect classic elegance and sophistication, and trendsetters often refer to its looks as “bold.”

Challenge

In the spring of 2021, Dolce & Gabbana joined forces with DJ Khaled, the popular DJ and record producer who was about to drop his 12^th studio album. Their exclusive collection revolves around a “Miami-meets-Mediterranean” theme. The brand wanted to build excitement for the collaboration, which includes ready-to-wear unisex clothing as well as beachwear. In addition to accessories, pieces range from shorts to tracksuits to pullover hoodies, all in fluorescent colors that scream, “let’s go to the club (but let’s show some class).”

Why the Miami and Mediterranean theme? D&G hails from Italy, hence the Mediterranean. And while DJ Khaled is not a Miami native, he moved there a few years ago and embraces the city’s thriving culture and pounding nightlife. The collection blends both styles.

Goals

Dolce & Gabbana and DJ Khaled boast impressive individual fan bases, each with more than 26 million Instagram followers. The goal was to build awareness among those people about the new collaboration. Presumably, the groups of fans enjoyed some crossover, but both display such loyalty that they would undoubtedly jump on whatever new products were presented by the fashion house or the artist.

That combined star power brought about a collection unlike anything D&G has produced before. It mashes elements of the high-energy, upbeat personality DJ Khaled curates with the high fashion of Dolce & Gabbana. Getting the word out to the right people could spark a surge of attention, not to mention great sales.

Solution

To achieve the campaign’s goals, Dash Two targeted three major cities with a billboard campaign designed to reach tastemakers ages 18-35 in each market. Of course, in addition to Los Angeles and New York City, two must-buys for any major out of home campaign, we also targeted Miami, for obvious reasons. Dash Two bought space in of the most exclusive and buzziest areas:

• Los Angeles: A static billboard on the Sunset Strip
• New York City: A digital billboard in Times Square
• Miami: A static billboard in the upscale Miami Design District

Implementation

The billboards debuted on March 15 and ran for four weeks across all three markets.

A big, bold collaboration calls for big, bold creative. The billboards feature DJ Khaled dressed in clothing from the collection, sitting on the left side of a bright red background. On the right side appear five simple words: “Dolce & Gabbana x DJ Khaled.” The eye-catching boards deliver a simple message that gets straight to the point, sending people to the Instagram accounts of the brand and the DJ, where they could learn more about the collaboration.

Results