Coach Spring 2021 Ad Campaign

Review of Coach Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers & Photographer Renell Medrano with talents Jennifer Lopez, Michael B. Jordan, Jeremy Lin, Yang Zi, & Kōki

Smartly titled “Coach It Forward,” the Spring 2021 campaign from Coach calls on extended family and old-school phone-booth imagery to send a message of gratitude and encouragement.

The campaign uses a familiar group of brand ambassadors whom we have seen for at least a couple of seasons now. Coach is wise to continue building on this approach; the recurrence of these faces and personalities does genuinely give the brand an aura of casual and welcoming familiarity.

For Spring, I wanted to evolve our Coach family story and speak to the way in which collective action and optimism can change things for the better. At the start of a new year and new chapter for so many, it’s important to put ourselves out there and support and recognize one another.
– Stuart Vevers, Coach Creative Director

This time around, the campaign’s series of short films depicts our ambassadors calling important figures in their lives and thanking them for being supportive throughout their lives and artistic journeys, and returning some of that positive energy. Vevers’ and photographer Renell Madrano’s imagery situate each conversation at a phone booth on a bustling city street. The iconic and now obsolete presence of a phone booth feels like a thoughtful way to reflect on human connection and distance in our new phase of remote communication.

The campaign also features an interesting interactive element. Calling the phone number that appears at the end of each short film, fans are invited by the brand ambassadors to share their own stories and messages for their loved ones. A selection of these dedications will be shared across Coach’s social media channels via posts and live events. It’s a nice way to invite everyone into the conversation, and a smart use of social media’s connective power.

Combining familiar faces and retro communications imagery with a smart use of contemporary social tools, the campaign sends an encouraging note of togetherness just in time for the new year.