DIESEL | LITTLE ROCK | 1997
The good guy gets shot and dies. And somehow that's "success" / DIESEL "LITTLE ROCK"
A western hero gets shot dead by the villain. And the ad uses that to talk about "success." This is the piece that won DIESEL and PARADISET DDB the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1997.
The problem
DIESEL's "For Successful Living" series was long known for provocative ads that tackled taboos head-on. The agency behind them, PARADISET DDB, built their creative work on the belief that young people want more than just looks—they want something to argue about.
The insight
Normally, if an ad is going to depict "success," the righteous hero wins. PARADISET turned that on its head. By choosing the western—a genre built on good triumphing over evil—and deliberately letting the good guy lose, they loaded the slogan "For Successful Living" with biting irony.
The idea
The handsome cowboy wearing Diesel is a good-hearted young man—he kisses his sweetheart, helps an old woman across the street. His rival, Slim, is the villain—he covers his girlfriend's face, steals candy from a child, kicks a dog. When the two face off in the middle of town and draw their guns, Slim is faster. As the young man falls, the words "For Successful Living" appear over him.
What happened
This piece, along with one other, won the Grand Prix in the Film/Cinema category at the 1997 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. It was PARADISET DDB's first Grand Prix for DIESEL.
Afterthought
It's striking how powerful a message can be made just by having the good guy die. The nerve to question what "success" even means, and the confidence to turn that into a joke—DIESEL had both in 1997.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 1997
