Ad Report Card: Levi's Finally Gets It
For a few years now, the Levi Strauss brand has had terrible problems. For whatever reason, the jeans once effortlessly synonymous with cool-yet-practical individuality became abruptly passé to a new generation of denim consumers--a problem compounded by floundering ad campaigns. The firm's latest marketing gambit, via ad firm TBWA/Chiat/Day, revolves around the tagline "Make Them Your Own," and its centerpiece is a series of ads directed by Spike Jonze. The spots are set up to seem as though you are looking from behind a mirror into a store dressing room at a people trying on Levi's. The flagship commercial is a quick-cut series of a dozen or more such folks; the other spots are extended takes of individuals from the first ad. For instance: a dancing guy in a sleeveless V-neck sweater; a peculiar guy who looks a little like Joaquin Phoenix, or at least like his character in To Die For; and a young fellow who is a little more tentative about his look.
The Ads: In each spot, an identical discoish tune meanders in the background as you watch these supposed jeans customers, each of whom is trim and good looking--though not so good-looking that they come off as a bunch of models. The camera is static and distant, and the production values intentionally low. The first ad begins with a redhaired girl checking the rear view, as it were, but it gets less predictable after that. Various people execute little dance moves, some more elaborate than others. There's a nice variation to their skill level, and something about the guy in the jersey working a quick nose-scratch into his routine adds a certain verisimilitude. Another man does some lunging motions. Another examines his look with one fist raised. Another flails his arms. Another leans back and throws his stomach forward. Another flips his hair around. Finally the red Levi's tab appears, with the words, "Make them your own."
The extended-take spin-off featuring the V-neck guy begins with him engaged in a kind of "Popeye the Sailor Man" dance, before lifting his shirt to adjust his boxer visibility and cinch up the crotch. Finally he lets the shirt drop again for a look at himself, thoroughly admiring the results. Next: The To Die For kid is wearing two T-shirts, one of which he prefers to have rolled up above the stomach, so the undershirt can be seen. He checks his fly, pivots, shimmies, twirls, and in another excellent touch, splays his right hand in some sort of absurd dance floor affectation. Finally, we have a young guy in a plaid shirt, who does a sort of shy little dance move, tries the look of rolling his one pant leg up the calf, then thinks better of it. He ends, hands on hips, appearing slightly undecided. Each ends with the same tagline. There are a couple of other spots featuring individuals from the long ad, but you get the idea.
