Charlie YoungADV280

Forget Poldark, I’ve Got Nick Kamen Project Re think (Levi’s)

Charlie Young

Charlie YoungADV280

Forget Poldark, I’ve Got Nick Kamen

Levi’s is a brand that has tried and succeeded to make themselves undoubtedly the coolest jeans in history. Being worn by every one from James Dean to SKEPTA, they are timeless piece of American fashion fit for almost any occasion, they don’t look particularly good at funerals FYI.

Levi’s roots aren’t all that stylish; originally made in 1873 for goldminers and farm labours they were a tough wearing, durable pair of workman’s trousers or pants. The trousers featured their, at the time, revolutionary rivets. Moving into the twentieth century, Levi’s look changed as they became less George and Lenny and far more Presley and McQueen. Everyone who was anyone wore Levi’s, from greasers to movie stars and fighter pilots (Levi’s Strauss, 2016).

The reason Levis could be worn by so many different people is due to the fabric that they are made of. The denim shows who you are and where you have come from, giving a personal look. No two pairs are exactly the same when they leave the factory, with the spring in the wooden floor boards beneath the machine, creating imperfections in each pair made (Levi's®.2016).

These days Levis jeans are still cool and going strong, being the jeans of fashion dads and hipsters alike. Ranked as the best selling jeans (Top 101 News, 2015) the brand’s popularity is clear to see.

Levi’s advertising has always helped express the company’s image and values. They have created many timeless ads from their black sheep billboard ad, though undoubtedly their best ad in my opinion is the Levi ‘laundrette’ ad, launching their stone washed range. The ad is set in 1940s America and shows an attractive young man going into a laundrette, removing his clothes down to his bright white boxers to the increasing bemusement of onlookers. He then proceeds to pour a bag of rocks into the machine before casually sitting down to read a magazine, all to Marvin Gaye’s classic I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Visser, 2007).

The ad was a huge success causing a stir even in 1985, with sales of 501s increasing by an astonishing 800%. Thousands wrote letters to Levi’s asking for photographs of Kamen in his pants. Dr David Lewis a phycologist commented “The ad said: wear Levi’s jeans and you’ll be a rebel without a cause!” (fra30774, 2012).

Since 1985 times have changed, although Levi’s have maintained the same rebellious yet humorous look, with a string of excellent campaigns cementing that style. The ads were often similarly sexual, relying on the sex appeal of the Levi’s brand, as well as its rebellious status. The way that Lev’si have positioned themselves with their ads means that consumers can identify their brands marketing “memorable campaigns have a clearly defined tone of

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voice. As a consumer you might never consciously define it, but when it is coherent and consistent, you feel you ‘know’ the brand even before you see the logo” (Taylor, 2013).

Levi’s have kept up with the times, releasing new and more modern cuts such as the 511. As a brand, Levi’s is now ranked as one of the world’s top clothing brands. (Mariano, 2015)

It is this effect, caused by the original ad, that is the reason that I have chosen it for my project re-brief, as well as it being one of my favourite ads. The modern creative has far more channels of communication available to them now than they did in 1985, with the rise of video formats such as 360°, virtual/ augmented reality, mobile technology advances and not forgetting the vast and ever growing world of social media.

Virtual reality was at one time something that you’d only find in an 80s arcade, although now it is a fast evolving technology. Virtual reality can give the user the experience of doing or being anywhere, whether it is flying a space ship or going to the toilet on top of Everest. In recent years VR has become far more accessible with the launch of affordable headsets, such as Google Cardboard. (Lopez, 2015)

As the world of film has developed, so have the cameras with higher quality and the ability to shoot in 360°. 360° really began to take off when YouTube added the feature to their site along with a host of spectacular videos. (Burgess, 2016)

With huge leaps in mobile technology, specifically smart phones and tablets, apps and games have become potentially a key part of a successful multi media campaign. An example of this is Barclaycard with their Waterslide Extreme game. The game came off the back of a hugely successful television campaign. Utilising the app/game format, Barclaycard was able to allow people to interact with their brand in a new way. (Nettleton, 2019)

The modern age really is a social generation when even your grandma probably has a Facebook account. It is unsurprising that it is an excellent tool for advertising because it allows brands to have a two-way conversation with their fan base, as well as being another promotional platform. Go Pro have a brilliant presence on social media, using all of the appropriate channels. Each day they post a photo taken by someone using a Go Pro, their “Photo of the day!”. Go Pro have created a near cult following through their work on social media and sponsored content. Gary Vaynerchuk, a leading figure in the world of online marketing, describes the importance of social media in a modern campaign, “A quick look at many companies’ marketing efforts reveals that many have caught on that mobile networks and aps present the biggest opportunity for brand growth” (Vaynerchuk ,2013).

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After researching all of the latest and greatest media channels, I have created a campaign which takes the idea of pushing the boundaries that Levi’s started back in 1985 and brings it into the 21st century.

The objective of the original ad was to push the boundaries of clothing advertising. This is the effect that I have tried to reimagine using modern channels.

What makes the original ad so funny is the shocked reactions of the people in the laundrette. This was something that I wanted to show in a new light. What I want to do is use 360° video technology and reshoot the original ad in 360°, giving the user a first person perspective of the ad. The ad will still be set in the 1940s as I feel this is key to the ad’s success. To promote the reshot ad, I would run it as a YouTube pre role ad. Although there is a lot of contention about the effectiveness of these ads, I feel that the unique nature of the content would have people interested enough to watch the whole way through. I also feel that the iconic status of the original ad will draw people into seeking it out on the Levi’s social media channels themselves.

As well as the the ad, Levi’s will launch the Levis app with its key feature being a virtual changing room, allowing people to try on any piece of clothing in the Levi range. The feature will use body mapping recognising your body shape and using virtual reality technology to put the jeans on your body and allow the user to try them in in the comfort of their own home. These days, people don’t just buy a pair of jeans, they like to make them their own. The app will allow people to virtually distress their jeans so that they can get that ripped jeans look spot on. Once you have found your jeans links will take you directly to the app’s mobile store and give you the option buy them. Another fun feature of the app is that it will include the ability to try on Kamens’s iconic white boxers. This humourous and promiscuous feature fits in with Levi’s brand image and the original themes of the ad. All features of the app, from the changing room to the white boxers, will be sharable in social media.

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As well as the virtual changing room being available on smart phones, people will be able to experience it in shopping centres and Levi’s outlets, with special screens featuring a body mapping camera, allowing even more people to get involved.

Accompanying the app and 360° ads will be a concentrated effort on the brand’s social media channels to create a buzz around the campaign. In addition, the brand will start and join in conversations with the fan base, once the campaign has gained popularity. The nature of the campaign makes it perfect to share on social media, especially the virtual changing room. Whenever someone shares or saves a photo of themselves using the app, a small discreet Levi’s logo will be placed in the corner. I chose the logo rather than a hashtag as I feel that the hashtag is becoming less relevant in marketing and the logo is more recognizable (PRweek US,2016).

The app has the possibility to excite both the fashion and tech worlds. It would be a totally new way of using virtual reality technology in a commercial and useful way. Imagine both Vogue and Wired both doing articles on the campaign.

The campaign uses a mixture of paid, owned and earned media channels.

Charlie YoungADV280

Doing justice to such a beloved and successful campaign is difficult, although by using new technologies which were unavailable at the time, I believe this re-think campaign does it justice. Sticking to the strong organising ideas of pushing the boundaries of fashion advertising, this ads ability to revisit the original ad in 360° means that people can truly experience the effect that the contents of the ad would have had. The most revolutionary feature of the campaign is the virtual changing room though, allowing any one to find those perfect jeans. Key to the success of the campaign will lie in how it is presented and received on social media.

The jeans that changed fashion, might just end up changing how we shop forever.

Charlie YoungADV280

Videos :

Levi's®.(2016) The 501® Jean: Stories of an Original | Full Documentary. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R9cAoCyatA Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

oonai5000. (2008) Levi's 501 commercial with Nick Kamen (Laundrette) (1985).Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q56M5OZS1A8 Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

Лучшая Реклама. (2014) Jeans Levi's Live Ad Commercial 2014 - Live in Levi's. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbp_5MkxUb4 Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

ladynea (2006). "Creek" Levi's 501 commercial - "Inside" by Stiltskin. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skWFyop_pxU Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

BILLYKARLOFF(2009). Levis 501 ad 1990 "Blind Man". Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukWUdJENVOs Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

Websites:

Wikipedia. (2016). Levi Strauss & Co. Available URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss_%26_Co. Accessed: [ 1st October 2016]

(1)Levi and Strauss (2016) Levi and Strauss. Available URL:http://www.levi.com/GB/en_GB/ Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

(2) Levi and Strauss (2016) Levi and Strauss. Available URL:http://www.levistrauss.com/ Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

(3)Levi and Strauss (2016) Levi and Strauss Available URL:https://www.facebook.com/levis.gb/?brand_redir=95181800661

Available URL:http://levistrauss.com/our-story/ Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

Google. (2016). Google Cardboard. Available URL: https://vr.google.com/cardboard/ Accessed:[ 1st November 2016]

Virtual Reality Society. (2016). Virtual Reality Society. Available URL:http://www.vrs.org.uk/ Accessed:[ 1st October 2016]

Articles- blogs: Unknown.(2015) 10 Brands Doing an Amazing Job on Social Media Available at:

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http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/michael-patterson-10-brands-amazing-social-media/624169 Accessed:[ 3rd October 2016]

Kessler,S .(2010) 13 Branded Apps That Got it Right Available at:https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/13-branded-apps-that-got-it-right-sarah-kessler/ Accessed:[ 3rd October 2016]

Mariano, J. (2011) GoodGuide Names Levi’s Top Jeans Brand. Available at:http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/02/goodguide-names-levis-top-jeans-brand/ Accessed:[4th October 2016]

Top 101 News. (2015) Top 10 Best selling Jeans Brands in The World. Available at:http://top101news.com/2015-2016-2017-2018/news/products/best-selling-jeans-brands-world-usa/10/ Accessed:[ 4th October 2016]

fra30774. (2012) Levi’s 501 – The story behind Launderette. available at:https://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/levis-501-the-story-behind-launderette/ Accessed:[ 6th October 2016]

BURGESS, M. (2016) YouTube launches live 360-degree video streaming. Available at:http://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-live-360-degree-video Accessed:[ 6th October 2016]

Nettleton, K. (2009) Barclaycard 'waterslide' becomes most popular branded iPhone app. Available at:http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/barclaycard-waterslide-becomes-popular-branded-iphone-app/923836 Accessed:[ 6th October 2016]

PR Weekly US. (2016) Is the #hashtag dead for marketers?. Available at: http://www.prweek.com/article/1380830/hashtag-dead-marketers Accessed:[ 6th October 2016]

LOPEZ, N. (2015) Google’s new Cardboard experiences convinced me VR is here to stay. Available at:http://thenextweb.com/google/2015/05/29/googles-new-cardboard-experiences-convinced-me-vr-is-here-to-stay/ Accessed:[ 1st November 2016]

Academic resources:

Mcstay, A. (2010) DIGITAL ADVERTISING /Basingstoke/ Palgrave Macmillan Accessed:[ 10th October 2016]

Taylor, A.K. (2013) STRATEGIC THINKING FOR ADVERTISING CREATIVES/London /Laurance King Publishing Accessed:[ 10th October 2016]

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Vaynerchuk, G.(2013) JAB JAB JAB RIGHT HOOK/ New York / HarperCollins Accessed:[ 17th October 2016]