The "I am.." campaign revolves around the clothing and style. There is a separate campaign for the menswear and womenswear. The ads are elegant but are still humorous;
"What French Connection did with FCUK got people talking, but now they are trying to get people thinking," says Stuart Wood, global creative director at design agency Fitch. "Its clothes aren't that different from ones you can buy at chains like Reiss, but what it has always had is attitude. FCUK was a blunt instrument but it had attitude. But if you are over the age of 25, you are so used to seeing that slogan that French Connection had to do something radical to make you reassess the brand." (Wood, 2011)
French Connection have drastically reimgained how they communicate their brand. Their 2010 campaign centres on a woman (and a man for the menswear collection) following her throughout her daily life, noting her behaviour and clothing. The menswear campaign takes a similar approach, depicting observations that are synonymous but not stereotypical of the male consumer.
The use of separate campaigns for men and women highlights French Connection's understanding of their consumer. Men and women respond differently to advertising, they understand fashion differently. Each gender can equally find both sides of the campaign amusing but they can easily relate to the side aimed at themselves.
The television advert is filmed in black and white and features a French accented voice over which narrates and make observations through out the clip. The woman is seen wearing various outfits and often looking directly into the camera, a acknowledging the voice. The voice wonders aloud what is it that attracts the men to the woman. The voice notes "this is not so provocative" implying the attraction is natural and not forced. The voice continues to wonder the reasons in a humorous manner that is charming and endearing;
"Is it the dress? With the petite fleur? With the pretty colour? Mon pardon, you cannot see them"
The use of the voice over allows French Connection to imply that their brand makes the woman part of who she is; strong, chic and desired.
The advert is timeless with that amusing tone that makes it distinctly French Connection. It is also a stark contrast to the crass and unsubtle humour of the FCUK "fcuk fashion" campaign. The "This is Woman/Man" campaign illustrates a This tone is echoed throughout the campaign onto posters.
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